The Untitled Naruto Story
by Trace Reading
Summary: Story is getting a rewrite to make it less suck.  You'll know when it starts.  Sorry everyone!
1. Observations

_Author's Preface: you're damn right it's another Naruto fanfiction, and you're damn right I'm going to be invoking a few elements that figure heavily in other submissions. How so? You'll just have to wait and see…_

_(Also, I don't own Naruto so don't sue. I wish to hell I did so I could make a mint off the merchandising.)_

Kakashi Hatake shut his little orange book and stashed it in the pouch on his belt, opening up the other item he was carrying. It was a collection of short essays written by the students in Iruka's class at the academy; most of them emphasized the _short_ portion of short essay but a few of them stood out. They'd be graduating in two years, if all went well, and it never hurt to start looking at potential team assignments early. He knew the other Jounin were doing so as well, though Asuma was angling to get the Ino-Shika-Cho team if he could. Of course, he had to start with Minato's son (if anyone among Konoha's ninja didn't already know, they didn't deserve the title).

_Why I want to be a Ninja, by Naruto Uzumaki_

I want to be a ninja because it's important to my goal of becoming Hokage someday. I'm not going to pretend it'll be easy or that I'll even get the job but I have to try because there are a lot of important people in the village that need protecting. Even if they're not people I know personally, someone out there cares and if I'm not doing my best to ensure their safety then I'm letting them down. There are people in my class I care about too so even if I never make it as a ninja I'll do my best to help them in any way that I can.

_Sakura Haruno: My reasons for becoming a Ninja_

My parents are both doctors at a free clinic in the poor parts of town. They both severed served in the Second Ninja War as medic-nins, helping as many people as they could as often as they could, even without orders. They dedicate their lives to helping people and I don't want to be seen as being selfish with such a shining example to draw on. I want to be a ninja so I can take care of my teammates and keep them out of trouble, and maybe do well enough for my parents to be proud of me.

One day I want to be as famous as Lady Tsunade herself!

_Uchiha Family Tradition_

I'm the last of my clan, but that's not important anymore. If they weren't strong enough to defend themselves against one man then they deserved to die. I am only here to learn all I can to continue the clan's tradition of having a strong ninja in every graduating class, even if I'm the last one to fulfill this requirement. Once I've learned everything I can from Konoha I'm going to move on, assuming I can get the Hokage's approval. I can't let anyone else be hurt because of the name Uchiha—unless they deserve it. That's all I have to say about it.

_Only one reason (Hinata H.)_

For love.

As brief as it was, it still made Kakashi raise an eyebrow. It was a shame she didn't write more; the Hyuuga girl obviously had something strong deep inside her and if it could be drawn out she'd make the most formidable Hyuuga ninja in fifty years. Shrugging, he went back to the essays; most of them were utterly forgettable, especially the Yamanaka girl's "Kunoichi Aspirations". Of the twenty-seven or so students assigned to Iruka only nine of them showed any real potential (and annoyingly, Yamanaka was one of them if only for the fact that she'd likely get graduated to complete the famed Ino-Shika-Cho combination).

He was going to continue observing them up until graduation, but he knew he'd already made his decision. They might want him to take on Sasuke because of his Sharingan; he had other ideas. No, if he needed a sensor on his team, he was going to take the Hyuuga. Sasuke's single-minded focus on revenge was just going to make him a liability. Let him get stuck on someone else's team where he'd flunk out or get beaten into shape.

Team Seven was going to be the best he could make them.


	2. Bells

Two years later, and the night before the graduation ceremony that would bring a new crop of genin into the ninja corps that served Konoha, Kakashi was relaxing in a bar with the other jounin who were due to be assigned teams tomorrow. The report was good: despite several misgivings and a few hiccups it seemed that a full class was scheduled for assignment, meaning nobody was going to be shortchanged as had happened in previous years.

Kurenai was currently maintaining an obfuscation genjutsu, a minor technique that would make peoples' eyes simply slide away from the table that they were gathered at as if there was nothing interesting to look at, which was allowing the Copy Ninja to leave his mask down for a change. "So what is it you wanted to talk about, Hatake? You seemed pretty urgent it be discussed before the assignments were finalized."

Kakashi took a sip of the sake that had been delivered to them by a waitress who was well-versed in ignoring genjutsu so she could serve guests without falling prey to the distractions they liked to employ; ninja, especially jounin, took their privacy very seriously, but she had a job to perform as well. As the liquid warmed his core Kakashi licked his lips to savor the droplets left on his lips, and then turned his attention to Kurenai.

"I was thinking that you and I should swap students. Not the whole assignments, of course, just one each."

"I think I can work with that. Who did you have in mind?"

"Hear me out before you go protesting anything. I'd like to put Hinata on my team and give you Sasuke. The boy's hell-bent on revenge and I don't think I can break him of that. ANBU wants me to train him because of the Sharingan but his hasn't even awakened yet and more to the point I think it's more important he learn how to use and counter genjutsu than be given access to a blood limit that will only accelerate his crazy ambitions."

"Interesting points. What about Hinata? Do you plan on teaching her advanced ninjutsu to make up for the lack of other skills brought about by the Byakugan?"

"Perhaps. I'll have to see how well they work together before I finalize any instruction plan, but I wanted to get your input. Besides putting her with someone she looks up to I have a feeling she'll be able to motivate the Haruno girl better than if I were to have Uchiha pulling all the weight for her."

"Well, I'll think about it," was her reply, as at the moment she was more focused on playing footsie with Asuma than on making any critical decisions regarding who she'd be teaching. The sake was definitely getting to her, just not to the point of actual drunkenness quite yet. "I'll tell you in the morning before we deliver the papers to the registration office."

"Good enough for me. Who wants more beer?"

Naruto Uzumaki adjusted the reinforced headband one last time and gave a smile to the mirror, the best one he had in his arsenal. Today he was officially a ninja, today he was going to be assigned to a team and begin the long journey towards his eventual goal of Hokage. He didn't expect it to be easy so he was hoping that his teammates would be able to work with him in realizing every potential he had just like he was going to help them realize theirs.

Though he was technically "dead last" according to his test scores and poor performance when it came to reviewing basic techniques, he didn't need anyone to point out to him that there were plenty of ways in which he more than made up for his academic shortcomings. Not even the grisly stares of some of the more ignorant villagers could wipe the smile off his face today, and a few of the less stupid actually returned it, and it wasn't just because of the metal plate bearing the icon of Leaf shinobi affixed to his forehead.

So pleased was the boy that he almost started whistling a jaunty tune, but that wouldn't really reflect well on him if he walked into the classroom acting like he'd won the lottery. It was a bit of an effort but he managed to calm down enough to take his usual seat dead center, right at the end of the aisle. If the Sasuke Fan Club wanted to act like idiots today they'd have to go through him. In a way he actually felt sorry for the Uchiha, even if he was a bit of a snob. Once, he'd asked Sasuke if he thought the Fourth had ever had to put up with any of that sort of nonsense.

The only reply was a nonchalant "probably", which is more than he'd usually get out of the dark-haired genius prodigy of Konoha, so it had been a bit surprising when he'd elaborated upon that thought. "Someone as famous as him probably had fangirls from every ninja village on the continent, even the ones we were at war with." That idea had been amusing at the time, but now two years later it was just sort of sad. Right on cue, Sakura and Ino tried to get through the door at the same time and promptly started brawling.

"Idiots," Shikamaru said in unison with Naruto and Sasuke. The three of them shared a look and then started laughing. Hearing Sasuke do anything but growl in annoyance was unusual, in a refreshing sort of way. Naruto was the first to recover.

"Hey, guys. Let's make a pact here, OK? No matter what team we end up on, we're still Konoha genin from here on out, so we should do everything we can to make sure we get stronger. Oh, and we gotta help our teams out, too, right?"

"Hm." Sasuke was as expected noncommittal towards that idea, though Shikamaru nodded in agreement.

"Fair enough. It'll be pretty troublesome I guess, but can't be worse than being a team that can't support itself. Say, how did you pass the exam anyway?" Naruto faltered momentarily and offered an awkward smile.

"I'll tell you later. I think we're about to get our team assignments." Sure enough, Iruka had entered the classroom, looking at his students proudly; they were the best he'd seen in ten years as a teacher and if they kept on improving might eventually end up on par with the legendary Sannin. Lofty aspirations for a teacher to have, yes, and yet Iruka didn't feel as though he'd be living vicariously through them.

Shikamaru nudged Naruto's shoulder and gestured; when he looked he saw Hinata smiling at him shyly, a hint of her own pride evident in the carefully regulated expression. From the looks of it she was happy to see him among those graduating from the academy that day. Nobody had ever had any doubt about the Hyuuga, obviously, though Naruto had always thought it was odd how she always tried to be just good enough to get by, even though he knew she was capable of much better and not just for her bloodline.

"All right, everyone, settle down, settle down." Iruka's voice pulled him from his reverie and Naruto fixed his attention on the man with the scar across his face. "I'm sure you're all excited to get your team assignments so I won't hold you up. First though let me congratulate you all for passing the genin exams and being approved to join the ranks of Konoha ninja!" Whispers passed through the gathered students, centered on the fact that Iruka seemed to be missing his badge. Little did they know that it was right there in the room with them.

"From here on out your training and instruction will fall to the Jounin teachers that you will be working with for the next few years. I expect each of you will give him or her the respect that they deserve, the same respect you've shown to me—that goes double for you, Naruto!" Chuckles as the blond blushed in embarrassment, recalling that Iruka was usually the one who ended up catching him after one of his pranks. While the class was sharing a laugh at his expense he was watching the door, seeing several men and women enter. One of them was wearing a mask over the lower half of his face and let his badge cover his left eye.

Iruka was at that point reading off names as each Jounin stepped forward and accepted their students. "…Team Seven assigned to Kakashi Hatake: Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Hinata Hyuuga. Team Eight assigned to Kurenai Yuuhi: Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, and Sasuke Uchiha…" Naruto filtered the names out again, looking around in shock. He…_wasn't_ going to be on a team with his eternal rival? And he was stuck with two girls instead? No offense to either of them but how were they supposed to help him get stronger? He'd never even seen Hinata fight and Sakura was useless in open combat. Even if she'd never admit it her taijutsu was worse than his own!

The man in the mask gave a flick of his white hair and gestured for his students to follow. More than a few murmurs persisted as the three genin rose one by one and followed him out into the hallway and from there into Konoha's streets. Inwardly Sakura was seething, crushed that she hadn't been placed on a team with her Beloved Sasuke, relieved that nobody else had been given that opportunity either. But having to be stuck with the idiot Naruto and the unnervingly quiet Hinata…she made Shino seem like an expert conversationalist by comparison. And the way she kept staring at Naruto and blushing! Was she insane?

Hinata on the other hand couldn't have been happier. To be placed with someone as ambitious as Naruto was nothing short of a godsend and she had nothing but respect for Sakura, as well. She knew a little about both, mostly from her observations during classes (as well as a little Byakugan-fueled spying); what she didn't know, however, was what they were like outside of a study environment, how they behaved when put under real stress and most importantly how they would handle having her for a partner. Naruto didn't seem to mind (dimly aware that since he maintained that goofball expression no matter what it wasn't saying much). Sakura on the other hand apparently loathed her very existence. Well if she didn't like it that was her own problem. This was her team now and if she didn't learn to work with it, then they would all suffer.

"Where the hell are we going anyway, Kakashi-sensei?" That remark earned him a thwack on the head from Sakura, warning him to watch his language, followed by a quiet admonition from Hinata that she shouldn't be so rough on Naruto if they weren't sparring. Sakura just rolled her eyes at that comment. Naruto had taken bigger hits than that and not even blinked. One little punch wasn't going to break him.

"Training ground eleven," the masked jounin replied nonchalantly. "Before I agree to train you, the three of you have to pass a little test."

"But didn't we already…" Sakura began before she was cut off by the team leader.

"The academy's tests are too easy. I need to see if the three of you are really cut out to be ninja."

"I remember now!" Naruto piped up after a moment of thought. "They say you've failed every team that's been assigned to you since you became a jounin. Is it true or are people just spreading rumors to make you look more intimidating than you actually are?"

"Naruto, this is probably the only time I'm ever going to tell you this: you're absolutely right. Not one of the teams I have been given have met my standards. Let some other jounin handle them if they want. That's all I'm going to say on the matter. The rest of it you'll have to be smart enough to figure out on your own."

"Good luck with that," Sakura said. "Naruto's denser than concrete. I'm surprised he even managed to graduate after all the times he failed the genin exams." It was Hinata who spoke in his defense, although Naruto was preparing to get loud and obnoxious, similar to the orange jumpsuit.

"Don't be so cruel, Sakura. A good ninja is more than what he learns in a classroom. A good ninja has qualities that can't be revealed just by teaching a curriculum…you should know that better than anyone, _bookworm_." The pink-haired girl cowed with a glare, not much but enough to satisfy her. Insulting people didn't come naturally to Hinata. Even so she had to try it on for size, although she could probably have done better than 'bookworm' if she really wanted the barb to stick. The problem was she didn't. She just wanted her to lay off of Naruto. He had a hard enough time of it as it was.

Which apparently included having to stave off Konohamaru's latest attempt at being stealthy. The grandson of the Hokage showered praise and admiration upon Naruto for seeing through his disguise, a rather square rock with two eye-holes in the front, along with vindictive blather about how he was going to defeat his eternal rival no matter what it took. Naruto sent Konohamaru packing with less fanfare than usual if reports of the antics between the two were anything to believe, as he was preparing mentally for whatever test that Kakashi had planned for them.

Following that interruption the walk to Training Ground 11 was uneventful; people gave them a wide berth though whether it was due to Kakashi or Naruto neither of the two girls could say for sure. Sakura had never been able to put her finger on it but there was always something both familiar and at the same time alien about his presence. The one time she'd seen him truly angry, which had happened after some hooligans vandalized his apartment, it had been almost tangible during classes. She'd been positively terrified of such vigorous hatred, and she suspected that hadn't even been an outward expression of emotion. Still, the day after that he was all smiles and goofball again, so maybe it had been a fluke.

Sakura never did find out who'd paid for the repairs, but she did know that Naruto handled the actual labor himself. He didn't like other people to do things for him if he could help it. Her dad had said he was just like his mother in that regard, but neither of her parents would elaborate on it, like the whole adult population of the village was sharing some kind of secret.

Training ground eleven was like many of the other ones comprised of variable terrain, though this one in particular favored open fields and several streams rather than dense forests or rocky hillocks. Hinata heard from her cousin that Team Gai often came up here to spar and run endurance exercises, and she noticed that more than a few of the trees had fist marks in them. All three of the genin were focused more on Kakashi at that point, though, eager to discover just what he meant for them to do.

The answer came soon enough. Opening one of his pouches, Kakashi withdrew a pair of bells, tying them to his belt with some string. Not ninja wire or even chakra thread, just plain old cotton string. "The object of this test is to retrieve these bells. You may notice that there are only two; the one who doesn't obtain one by noon forfeits lunch and gets tied to a post. The three of you are free to use whatever techniques you want, but try to avoid any lethal strikes.

"If you have any doubts I advise you to leave now. I'm going to go hide somewhere in that stand of trees over there; you three wait ten minutes and then you're free to come after me as often as you want. Oh, and keep in mind that I do intend to fight back, so use everything you've got." Grinning behind the mask he performed a body flicker, putting some distance between himself and his prospective students.

Almost immediately Sakura's stomach began to growl, followed by Hinata and Naruto in sympathy. They'd received anonymous letters not to eat breakfast before reporting to the class for assignment, and at the time none of them had thought too much about it. But now that lunch was on the line… Naruto looked like he might die, until he remembered something in his thigh pouch. Reaching in he drew out, not kunai or shuriken, but a couple bars of granola along with some dried fruit in a plastic bag, in addition to some fresher nuts and berries.

"Naruto, what…you were stashing food?" Sakura looked at him like he'd grown an extra head. "We weren't supposed to eat breakfast! It has to be part of Kakashi-sensei's test and if we have any food now he could fail us!"

"Yeah, but this isn't breakfast! It's a mid-morning snack!"

"N-Naruto's right. We shouldn't try to fight on an empty stomach… Um, Naruto… why do you have food in your pouch anyway?"

"Oh, that. Yeah, I keep some in reserve just in case the old man's troops are dead set on catching me after one of my little, uh surprises. I've had to hide out in the woods for over a week more than once, so it helps to have something to fall back on if the foraging doesn't go well." At a very basic level and without even realizing that he was doing it Naruto was in that moment demonstrating a truth that they would have reinforced much later on: the enemy wasn't going to play by the rules, and if they adhered to any rigid mode of operation they were just going to wind up dead.

Hinata blushed when Naruto placed the food in her hands, though Sakura seemed to take it as an insult almost, insisting that they had to stick to the parameters of the test or else it was invalidated and they failed automatically. She couldn't deny the rumbling in her belly, though, and finally ate some of what Naruto gave her, begrudgingly as it appeared. Her internal clock registered that five minutes had passed, and she watched with some amusement as Naruto fidgeted around in the bushes, apparently looking for something.

When the girls moved to ask him what he was up to he shooed them away, straightening up with a devious grin. Within minutes he'd run all around every concealed spot that he could find, littering the clearing that Kakashi had left them in with rudimentary booby traps. They wouldn't fool an expert, but Naruto had a plan and it wasn't to let the white-haired jounin know there were traps in the first place.

"Ten minutes is up. I say we charge him head on and beat him down!" Sakura's enthusiasm was admirable, but Hinata, sensing what the orange-jumpsuited boy had in mind, shook her head.

"We won't last in direct combat, not against someone like him. We should…gang up on him and drive him back this way…into Naruto's snare traps." It wasn't likely that Kakashi would try to use clones of any sort with Hinata around to see through them, but he could very easily pick them off all the same. If they acted selfishly and attacked one by one, she explained, his superior skills would put them all on the bench.

Kakashi was already watching them, fully aware of the hazards Naruto had set up, being as the body flicker had just been a distraction so he could hide himself as one of the bushes in the clearing. He had to give them points for breaking the rules already (at Naruto's insistence), but also to remove some as they had clearly not noticed the extra shrub in the area. Oh well, he'd work on observational training with them if they managed to pass his test.

For now Naruto seemed to be the apparent leader; he came up with an idea and they followed, though from the look on his face he'd been expecting them to say something to flesh it out better rather than just tagging along. Not much progress, but they'd only been a team for all of an hour and forty minutes of that had been spent walking to the training ground. Still, to form cohesiveness this quickly, as rudimentary as it was, came as a reassurance to him. Maybe he wouldn't have to fail them after all.

No matter what else, it was becoming painfully obvious that the class clown wasn't as stupid as everyone liked to pretend, demonstrated when he summoned up a clone to watch the clearing while the three real genin headed for the thicket Kakashi had said he'd be hiding in.

As they ran, Sakura posed a question.

"Naruto, since when can you summon clones that look that perfect?"

"Since when…? That's right, I didn't tell you about it. I'm probably going to get into trouble for it but what the hell, you guys are my team now, so no secrets. A couple nights ago Mizuki-sensei managed to convince me to steal a forbidden scroll from the Hokage's tower for him. I don't know why I agreed but he said that he'd let me graduate if I helped out and…well, I've broken into the tower without getting caught before."

"You have? When were you going to tell us?"

"It's not something you go around advertising, you know? But anyway that bastard started going on about how I was just garbage and not worth becoming a ninja. Before I'd shown him the scroll, though, I managed to pick up one of the better techniques from it. That back there? That's a shadow clone. Not an illusion. I'll tell you the rest of the story later. Don't want that sneak Kakashi hearing us coming."

"N-No offense, Naruto, but you are pretty loud even when you're trying to be quiet."

"Er, right. Hinata, you take the left, Sakura, go right and I'll head up the middle. Up into the trees so we can see better and move easier." Again the girls found themselves obeying without any outward protest, jumping up as high as chakra-enhanced leaps would allow and landing on boughs in the canopies of sturdy pines. Without waiting for instruction Hinata activated her Byakugan and did a quick sweep, frowning as she found an apparent lack of any human-sized energy sources. There was a large boar and some rabbits hiding in the denser shrub, but no Kakashi.

What was there, however… Her eyes widened as she recognized the patterns of exploding tags, too late to shout a warning. Sakura had apparently seen them, too, as both Naruto and Hinata felt themselves yanked through a double substitution, dropped on their bottoms twenty yards from the explosion. Naruto yelled for her in shock, thinking she'd been caught in the blast, when the pink-haired kunoichi dropped from the branch she was hanging from.

"I don't think I can do _that_ again. Substituting two people and then myself strained me to my limits." She saw Hinata had her eyes going, and squinted. "Did you see any sign of Kakashi-sensei?" Hinata only shook her head, and pointed back in the direction they'd come from.

"Bastard must have used that movement technique to trick us. But he hasn't dispelled my clone; when Iruka showed up to back me up against Mizuki the other day he sort of stepped in front of a giant shuriken for me so I went nuts and made as many shadow clones as I could. Pretty much a whole army of them, and I knew the instant Mizuki hit them hard enough to kill them. Each one that vanished let me know about it. Didn't feel quite like if he'd hit me personally but still pretty intense."

"Hey wait. Isn't the Shadow Clone technique jounin-level? You shouldn't be able to manage even one, let alone this army you're claiming. On top of the fact that you can't even manage a regular clone or transformation technique unless you're doing that perverted Ninja Centerfold thing." Mention of Naruto's favorite distraction maneuver set Hinata to blushing and feeling fortunate that she'd never had to witness it in its full glory.

"Erm…"

"Sakura, um…" Hinata remembered she was still looking through her Byakugan and shut it down, blushing still as she looked at the two with normal eyes. "How to put this? Naruto has very strongly developed chakra coils. It might be an unrecorded bloodline. But it's rude to pry into Naruto's personal affairs. I am sorry." Naruto just grinned and stopped Hinata before she could finish her apologetic bow, gesturing at the clearing again. Sakura, however, was frowning.

"Kakashi-sensei's supposed to have mastered a thousand techniques. If it is a real shadow clone you left in the clearing then he could put it under a genjutsu and alter the traps without having to discharge your clone. So we'd better be careful going back." Her partners nodded in agreement, and Hinata let a small smile creep out. She was beginning to see what sort of balance this team would have. Not that the girl had any ability to see the future, but Hyuuga clan were required to be able to judge the talents and capabilities of others swiftly and while some members might be inclined to use this as a reason to avoid people, Hinata personally used it to see what a person was like beneath their public façade.

"Okay, how about this? I generate about twenty or so clones, and we stick exploding tags to them so if he pops them, they go off, and if he puts a genjutsu on them they still go off? It'll play a lot of havoc and disarm some of the traps, and between the two of you, you should be able to grab those bells of his."

"But what about you, Naruto? You won't get a bell and will fail the test!"

"So what if I do? It's not as if I can't find some other way of proving that I belong with you guys, right? Nobody's fate was ever decided because of a pair of trinkets."

If things progressed at their current rate, Naruto would end up as the man in charge of planning out operations as well as providing distractions, Hinata mused, while Sakura would be the one providing medium-range support and Hinata would likely get pushed into a close combat role. Whatever the actual outcome was she planned to support her team one hundred ten—no, one hundred fifty percent. Everything she had and more.

"You sure it'll work, Naruto?"

"If it doesn't it'll at least shake him up a bit. I'm not too keen on trying something that crazy but it's the best plan I've got right now."

"Hinata, you up for this? It could be our only chance." The dark-haired girl nodded, setting herself with determination. As Naruto created the clones without any visible strain on himself, the two of them each provided a number of explosive tags, affixing them to each clone's back. Sakura had thought to split the cost between them so nobody's supply got completely depleted, even though Naruto was going to be taking all the risks.

"Okay," she said as she turned her eyes back on. "That bush forty yards ahead and six yards to the left is out of place. It has the right output for a person, but I'm not entirely sure it's a transformation."

"Clones are out the door…_now._" As Naruto spoke the thirty-odd copies of him charged out of their concealment, yelling like lunatics. The bush Hinata had pointed out flickered, launching a brace of kunai at the copies and as predicted they went off spectacularly. Their owner had enough sense to spread them out so they wouldn't set each other off but even so the effect was astounding, filling the clearing with smoke and flames and all manner of debris.

Kakashi staggered in shock as he hadn't been aware of the fact that Naruto could make _exploding_ clones; then he saw the tag as one made it past him and nearly went off in his face. _Clever idea, brat. A little unorthodox but it works. Now if you can just get this to rub off on the other two…_

"Tag, sensei, you're it!" The distraction _had_ worked and Kakashi frowned imperceptibly that he could slip up so badly with a bunch of genin. It's a good thing he'd left his book at home, because with these sorts of tactics the fragile little pages. Hinata and Sakura were both dangling a bell in front of him, adopting similar catlike teasing on their faces.

"I guess that means you win. Naruto, that means _you_ get to watch your teammates enjoy a lunch from the vantage point of that pole over there." They followed his pointing finger to gaze at the trio of stakes which had somehow managed to survive the onslaught of walking bombs, and Naruto's face fell.

"Aw man! This just sucks!" Naruto kicked his feet from where he was suspended after being tied up, while Sakura and Hinata sat at the base of the pole, staring into their lunches quietly. Neither of them moved to eat, even though both were hungry enough to need the stamina-restoring meals. Kakashi was about to intervene and force them to start eating when suddenly Naruto smiled. "Time's up!" One last clone vanished in a puff of smoke, and the real Naruto walked into the clearing, his arms full of wild plants, all of them edible.

As the loudmouthed genin sat down facing them the three let out a heartfelt 'Itadakimasu!' and began to dig in, splitting the bounty as equally as they could with a minimum of fuss.

_How long are these kids going to keep showing me up?_ "Well then, since you not only broke the rules I set out at the start of this test, but also retrieved the bells and managed to keep your teammate from being captured, Team Seven…passes!" Pleased looks passed between them as Kakashi smiled and patted them on the head.

"But don't think for a minute that this means things are ever going to be this easy again."


	3. Island

One week after completing the bell test, Kakashi called his students to meet on top of the Hokage monument for their next training session. He'd given them the intervening time to spend with each other and get to know their strengths and weaknesses better; whether they recognized that and took advantage of it would say much of how serious they were about being a team.

Sakura arrived first, still wearing the red and white cheongsam and black pants that was her trademark outfit; only minor changes had been made to her appearance, the girl's normally loose hair woven into a pair of tight braids that hung down her back. A sensible decision, that, not as sensible as cutting it entirely yet still workable for a kunoichi. He noted that as she settled into a passive stance next to him that the girl was wearing extra equipment pouches and had a scroll container as well.

Hinata was next, arriving in a leisurely manner that belied the attentiveness she was paying to her surroundings. Independent of the de facto team leader she had conspired with Sakura and come to the decision that they both needed to improve their awareness, both with and without the use of bloodline techniques. Having an opportunity to recognize threats before they became threats and also memorize the appearance of a target in case pursuit became necessary had been touched on in the academy, but never explored in depth; even so they chose to exercise and improve their observation skills. Sakura had 'shared' this idea with Naruto (read: she hit him on the head until he agreed to it), and at the same time wasn't too sure that he'd be able to get the hang of it.

After all, he was the loud hit it until it stopped moving type. And also the last to arrive, wearing considerably different clothing than they'd last seen him in. Gone was the orange jumpsuit with the blue trim; in its place was a black jacket with orange paneling on the neck and shoulders, and loose black trousers. As the jacket was open they could see a woven mesh shirt underneath, the sort that looked like fishnet until you got closer and saw it was actually made of very finely-woven fibers meant to deflect slashing weapons.

"Naruto, who told you to change your gear?" Kakashi queried immediately. The blond just grinned and brushed his fingers over the red spiral icon that decorated many Konoha uniforms, before meeting his teacher's gaze.

"I got lucky in cards the other day. And dice. And a couple of other games…anyway I thought that if I'm a professional ninja now, I should dress like it, right? Besides, being on a team with two lovely ladies means I shouldn't keep wearing the same shabby old clothes." He hadn't gotten rid of the jumpsuit of course, but it was going to enjoy an extended vacation in his closet.

"Naruto, when I said be more observant I didn't mean to cheat at gambling!" Sakura's palm hit her forehead, grinding in slightly just to drive home the headache he was giving her. Naruto just stuck his tongue out at her and grinned up at Kakashi.

"It's not my fault if my eyes are faster than theirs. Anyway, what's this new training you've got for us?"

"First things first," Kakashi said. "After watching your performances during the test I've decided to shift the training schedule around a bit. Normally I wouldn't start introducing elemental affinities or put you on survival training for at least a year, but as it so happens the chuunin exams are going to be held this year, in seven months to be precise. I don't want you to get the wrong impression that I want you to compete, but I do want you to be prepared so when it is time to choose whether you wish to take the exam or not."

Kakashi knelt down on the ground, using a stick to draw the four base elements into the ground that comprised the Second Hokage's head, joined by a circle and including the 'branch' elements. "Earth, Fire, Wind and Water. The four elements that comprise all matter. Earth and Water become Wood. Earth and Fire becomes Metal. Water and Wind becomes Ice, while Wind and Fire becomes Lightning. Are you with me so far?" When there were no dissenting voices, the Copy Ninja continued, drawing lines between the elements within the circle.

"There are very few ninja in the world who can use the opposing element to their affinity. Earth for example is almost impossible for a Wind type ninja to use. Same with Fire for Water. Think of it in terms of slopes. Using the element you have an affinity for is like walking up a shallow incline; attempting one of the perpendicular elements a steep hill, and trying the opposing element like trying to scale a cliff." Normally Kakashi would not be so eager to explain things to his students, though this time he was making an exception. From here on out, though, they'd have to learn from each other or not at all.

"While you may think that because you have an affinity for one element you can use both the base elements and branch elements attached to it, this assumption is wrong. Few people can use compound elements outside of those who possess a bloodline for it, or who have the reserves necessary to shape both at the same time. I don't expect genin like yourselves to be capable of compound elements; all the same I wanted to test you one more time so you have the path available to you if you want to follow it.

"Sakura, let's start with you." Rising again Kakashi opened a vest pocket, and drew out four strips of specialized paper. Each one was infused with elementally-shaped chakra, and would change color according to the person's affinity when they pushed their own chakra into the paper. Once she had this explanation it didn't take her long. Gripping the papers lightly she fed them with energy, watching as one of them turned completely blue, two of them turned partially brown and green, and the last struggled to show through some red.

"Well, I expected that much. Hinata, you're up." The Hyuuga girl took the papers from her teammate and focused on them; she already knew her elemental affinity of Earth but was demonstrating it for her teammates' sake. Having Earth element was rare for a Hyuuga as the clan trended towards Water or Wind affinity. After that brief demonstration she passed the papers off to Naruto without waiting for Kakashi to say so, blushing as her fingers brushed against her crush's. With the papers in hand, Naruto studied them intently for a minute, as if trying to figure out the elemental chakra inside them, rather than just make it react to his own.

Just when Sakura was about to get exasperated he fed his energy into them, making all four surge with color momentarily. Kakashi nearly lost his footing in shock, then, as the colors receded and only the Wind paper remained fully changed, he relaxed visibly. Of course there was no way for him to have a total elemental affinity. That was simply impossible. It was likely a case of the papers being charged with too much energy at once and nothing more. Grinning sheepishly Naruto handed the papers back, and Kakashi stuffed them back into his pocket, looking at the three of them with a critical eye.

"Now that we've gone over elements and affinities, it's time to move on. Sakura, Hinata, I've already gotten consent from your families, and all I need from you is your personal approval. I know you're not going to say no to any instruction I offer you, Naruto, and this suggestion comes straight from the Hokage, so don't go feeling like you're being left out." As Kakashi talked Hinata noted that this wasn't the first time that he'd gone out of his way to make sure Naruto knew he was being included as part of the group. It wasn't hard to figure out why, but that was between the two of them and not her business to pry into, like so many other things.

"If you three agree to this, we'll head immediately for the eastern sea that lies between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water. There is a small island in the middle of the ocean that's uninhabited; once there you three will spend a month alone. No provisions, no tools, no human contact except for each other. You'll each be supplied with a flare gun so if at any point you feel like you can't go on, simply fire it into the air and you'll come back to Konoha for basic training and D-Rank missions. If you do quit halfway through, however, I may consider you unfit to be ninja, and at the very least bar you and therefore the whole team from taking the exams."

Naruto gulped, looking uncertain, which was shared by his teammates as they looked from each other, to their teacher, and to the blond with the wild hair. As their gaze met his, however, he let his expression become like stone, forcing resolve into his eyes and a grin to his face. Startled and encouraged by his resolve, Hinata was the first to pick up the smile, followed by Sakura, though she still felt somewhat shaky on the issue. If her team wanted to try it out, though, she'd be with them one hundred percent. That's what the whole point of Kakashi's bell test was, right? This was just one more exercise meant to weave them even tighter.

"Okay, I'll do it," she said finally. "I think I get why you're doing this, Kakashi-sensei. If we have to work together to survive, it'll make us a better unit, won't it?" Sakura found herself coming to some of the same reasoning as Kakashi himself had. Often during classes she'd noticed that Naruto could learn just fine when he wanted to, but some things which should have been immediately obvious needed pointing out.

"I-I'm in, too," Hinata squeaked quietly. To her shame she hadn't come to Sakura's conclusion as readily as she should have; regardless, her expression brightened up when Sakura put herself forward. At that moment, the facetious glare of determination lost its artifice, transmuting into a true resolve. Naruto was the only one who didn't appear too fazed by his squadmates' shift in behavior.

"Just a month, huh? Is that all, Kakashi-sensei? That month will be up before we know it!"

"Good to hear it. Come to Gate 15 tomorrow morning at dawn. Don't bring anything you weren't born with." The girls blushed immediately, and Kakashi quickly amended his statement. "Alright, alright, you can each bring two changes of clothes, but not an ounce more. Understood?"

"Yes, Kakashi-sensei!" Team Seven chorused.

_Hinata H. survival log, day 1:_

_I know Kakashi-sensei told us not to bring anything we weren't born with but no Hyuuga ever goes anywhere without her journal. I was able to hide the summon scroll inside my…well, I still had it so obviously nobody thought to check me there._

_When I arrived at the gate I didn't see any sign of Kakashi or my fellow squad members. Instead someone hit me, quite hard, and when I came to I was lying on a beach. Alone. I've pretty much ruled out this still being in Fire Nation borders because after an hour of exploration I haven't found even the slightest sign of present habitation._

_There are indications that people did live on this island at one point but right now I don't have the luxury of wandering too far to investigate further. I'm going to start a fire and send up smoke signals on an hourly basis until nightfall. If Naruto and Sakura are on the island with me hopefully this will let us meet up and increase our chances._

_S. Haruno isolation diary day 2:_

_Pretty damn glad that dad was paranoid enough to include a secret compartment inside my backpack for me to stick things into. Still wish I'd packed more than this stupid notebook and clothes. No sign of Hinata or Naruto yet, though did see smoke signals coming from the west and followed them as far as I could before nightfall._

_Not at all thrilled about spending the next 29 days with just those two for company; nothing to do for it now but try and make the best of the situation. Betting that smoke signals are Hinata's doing, Naruto definitely not smart enough to stay put and let someone find him. Then again the wonder idiot probably knows more about trapping than either of us if he's used to foraging like he said at the bell test._

_Looking forward to getting out of these stupid woods. The trees in Konoha are much prettier. At least these don't have any giant slugs in them, though. Should not have listened when mom's friends were over for tea. Getting hungry so may have to put off trek to find food tomorrow._

_Naruto's ninja record, survival edition, day 3:_

_Stumbled across Hinata while wandering around the beach looking for a good place to fish. I'm still pretty annoyed at Kakashi's plan, though it's pretty sound logic. If we got separated on a mission we'd each have to fend for ourselves until we could reconvene. Hinata keeps blushing around me and though if circumstances were different it'd be cute right now having her distracted is just not something that I want to allow._

_I don't know when they started looking at me as team leader when Kakashi's not around but I'm not really cut out for the whole 'giving orders' thing. I prefer letting someone else do the thinking while I just try to keep everyone on their toes; it's why I always had trouble in class. Sitting there listening to someone talk theory instead of demonstrating practical application doesn't help me be a better ninja._

_Sakura found her way to us while I was showing Hinata how to set and bait traps. If all goes well we'll have a nice fish fry tonight and tomorrow we can start working on the stuff we suck at. I'd better find a less forward way of saying that to them, though._

_Hinata H. survival log day 4:_

_Naruto really knows his stuff when it comes to catching and killing things. We caught a rabbit in a snare trap this morning and he knew how to end it quickly so the poor thing didn't suffer. Still, we need to eat and if we hadn't gotten to it first maybe some fox or bear would have. Noticed that Naruto doesn't like to talk about foxes much. May have something to do with that thing we're not allowed to talk about._

_Sakura helped out too, showing us some plants that we could cut open to suck water out of so we don't have to risk illness by drinking river water. Right now I'm the only one who hasn't shown any real useful skill for the situation we find ourselves in. Naruto and Sakura both quick to encourage, complimenting my cooking and my idea to send up a signal. Naruto admits he wasn't even looking for signs, hoping just to get lucky._

_Need to set up shelter soon. Not up to date on my geography or climatology but pretty sure that wherever we are gets violent storms at this time of year._

_S. Haruno isolation diary, day 5:_

_Between myself and Naruto we've managed to teach Hinata what's safe to eat and what isn't. I know the plants from botany journals but Naruto seems to have obtained his experience through trial and error. How he isn't dead is beyond me. It might be a secret bloodline, I'm not sure. It's the wrong time to bring it up but I've always wondered why I can ask for information on anyone from the hall of records but the moment I submit a query for information related to "Uzumaki" I'm suddenly being escorted out by ANBU._

_We did manage to get a shelter set up between the three of us and liberal application of Naruto's shadow clones. Most people would probably only use them for combat; given how Naruto throws them at everything from hunting down game to constructing shelter, with quite decent results. Still, best not to rely on them too much. Wish I had some way of blocking the technique so this whole survival thing felt more like survival and less like an extended vacation._

_At least this way we'll have more time to focus on evening out the areas we're weak in. Even without Hinata's eyes I can tell that Naruto's going to need a lot of work._

_Naruto's ninja record, survival edition day 6:_

_There's a storm on the horizon. I can feel it. We got the shelter up okay (right,_I_ got the shelter up, Hinata and Sakura pretty much just showed me how to arrange things). Personally I would've been fine with woven leaves stretched over some branches; the girls wanted as near as they could get to a house, though. The trees here aren't as big as back home so we had to be a bit more careful about how much we knocked down._

_Felling timber without axes and saws is a lot harder than it looks; Hinata did some funny thing with her hands, though, and every tree we picked out fell right over, then she did the same thing to the branches. Working on finding suitable stones to use for cutting tools so we can make dishes and utensils from the leftover wood. Pointy sticks are nice for fish but not so much for wild pigs._

_Tomorrow we start on training, though if that storm hits like I think it will, then it's going to be something academic. Sakura says I need to work on my chakra control. Well if she had a damn demon stuck inside her she'd have trouble maintaining the proper levels, too! For her sake, though, I'll do my best. I'm not going to let my team down._

_Day 7:_

It still amazed Hinata that, with the assistance of clones, Naruto had more or less single-handedly built a three room hut sitting on the edge of the beach where the grass gave way to sand. It was a good enough position for an island house to be in: close to food and water, near to the woods without being so close that trees would fall on them so they could get more firewood easily, and with a good view of the sea to the west so they could see the rescue boat coming. _Assuming nothing's happened to Konoha and we're stuck here for the rest of our lives_, a dark part of her thoughts said. That part of her was selfish and wanted Naruto all for herself, something she wasn't quite ready to admit just yet.

His shortcomings at the academy aside Naruto had demonstrated quite a few practical skills and a willingness to learn he had previously never demonstrated for anyone but Iruka-sensei. Now if he could just make the wind stop blowing the rain sideways, then things would be perfect. At least the shutters were holding so none of them had gotten wet. Really, all the more useful things that Naruto was capable of had yet to stop surprising her with their variety. Not to say that he didn't have failings, but those she was willing to overlook or, like Sakura, help him overcome.

Currently she was trying to get him to understand the basics of chakra control, similar to the curriculum at the academy; unfortunately it was going about as well as the weather, and a pile of chakra-scorched leaves sat off to one side, testament to the persistent failure that Naruto was experiencing. Pained to watch him consume yet another leaf without any result, Hinata thought of some way to help him think of it in terms he could reconcile. Sakura's methodology was sound, though it was also highly technical.

"Umm…Naruto, you're trying to make the leaf stand up on your fingertip, right? If you look at the energy flowing out of your finger like…the difference between a candle and a firestorm…" Naruto and Sakura were staring at her like she'd grown two heads, and the frown on Naruto's face deepened into a positively discouraged scowl.

"Yeah, yeah, everyone keeps telling me how I'm supposed to feel a drain when I perform a technique, but that's the problem. It doesn't feel that way at all. If I had to describe it, it's like I'm drowning and at the same time I can breathe. It's the little things I always have trouble with. Maybe once this storm lets up we can start bigger and work our way down?" His voice was hopeful, hinting that he was getting frustrated. That false optimism he always put on for people was rather worrying.

"Naruto," Sakura chided softly, using the same tone of voice her mother often used when she meant to convey she was disappointed in the results, not the effort, "we can't start big unless you learn how to start small. The leaf exercise has been around since Hashirama. If you want to be the Hokage you'll have to figure out some way of managing to move in small, subtle measures. You can't solve every problem with a hammer." Silence reigned afterward, broken only by the noise of the storm railing uselessly against the occupants of the small hut.

"You're not talking about ninja arts, are you? The old man complains about it a lot, did you know that? Always saying when he thinks nobody hears about how he wishes he was like some of the other kages, making his will into law. That's not what he went to war for, though. I guess if the old man can move in small steps, I can, too. Hinata smiled pleasantly and handed him another leaf; this time Naruto fed it just a tiny little spark, still thinking he was overdoing it. That leaf however managed to stand up on its stem for a few moments, right until Naruto's excitement overwhelmed his control and the plant fibers were consumed in wreathing blue flames as his chakra overloaded them. Again.

Even so, it was progress.

_Day 15_

Hand signals, wild gesticulations and subtle movements that you had to be watching for. _Wild boar, twenty feet ahead, six feet to the left. Doesn't smell us yet._ Return signals offered, motions protracted to indicate the pace of approach. _Pit finished, eighty feet out at three o'clock from animal._ Silent nods, a call to action. They were running low on meat and that one boar would provide enough for another week at least, maybe more if they hoarded it.

Hinata and Naruto were flanking their quarry to ensure it didn't stray from the path they wanted it to take, hoping to goad it into a pit that the genin could climb out of but not the pig; it was Sakura's turn to drive the beast, and as she crept up on it as stealthily as she could manage she readied her voice, pumping chakra into her lungs to boost the volume and modulate the sound into something that animals feared. She couldn't waste breath on naming the art, but the hand seals didn't need a voice until the end.

Performing them quickly, she let go of the technique, framing the call in her mind as she opened her mouth and let out a fearsome roar. There were no lions, tigers or panthers on the island, actually, but the boar didn't know that. Letting out a terrified shriek it ran straight away from where Sakura was crouched, crashing through the underbrush as if it was rice paper. Thankfully her teammates only had to intervene twice, Hinata with wolf's howl (which was easier for her) and Naruto with a roar much, much louder than Sakura's own.

The intimidation tactic had been a spur-of-the-moment invention of Hinata's after the last time prey escaped from them; in a rare show of frustration and annoyance she'd let out a banshee's wail that had set Naruto and Sakura running, thinking she'd been hurt, but when they'd arrived she'd been glaring off in the direction the deer she'd been stalking had run off. Hinata actually didn't enjoy hunting and killing, even if she knew the reasoning behind it. At the rate they were burning chakra they needed all the protein and vitamins they could get, as well as simple raw energy to replenish what they'd been using.

Under normal circumstances a boar of the size they were hunting would provide enough to last the month; however due to their intense training pace, that month tuned into a week. A crash of branches and panicked squealing alerted them to their prize's blunder, and all three burst onto the pit at the same time, looking down into the shallow hole at the beast trying in vain to escape. Wordlessly they turned to each other. Silent consensus; Naruto held a spear in his dirt-covered hands but as much as the animal was thrashing it would be hard to make a clean and quick kill. That left Hinata's Gentle Fist.

Her heart sank a little as they looked at her, but she forced her misgivings aside. This was survival, and besides it wasn't as if she was killing the thing for pleasure. They had to eat something and foraging wasn't an option or else they'd end up eating grass after they exhausted the supply of edible plants. Activating her bloodline, Hinata bounced down into the pit, her left hand flashing out to catch the boar on the side of the head as it turned to face her with its dangerous tusks. Almost in the same moment the animal slumped to the ground, expiring from the lethal strike.

The grisly task finished she shut off her eyes and traded places with Naruto, who lifted the boar onto his shoulders and hopped up out of the pit behind her. By rough estimation it was about a mile from their current position back to the campsite and they were going to run the whole way—a short jog, really. A short jog made all the more difficult by the heavy logs that Hinata and Sakura were carrying to be split into firewood once at the hut, though with the use of makeshift axes rather than the Hyuuga taijutsu style. Overreliance on any one method of fighting was in Naruto's opinion detrimental in the long run, the main reason that he liked to make things up as he went along.

Carrying around heavy objects while they ran everywhere wasn't really to improve their physical strength, though it was helping somewhat. Instead, it had been Sakura's idea for them to build up their stamina so they could go longer without tiring out and between the three of them Team Seven was beginning to notice results. The girls didn't want to be shown up by Naruto, naturally, whose inherent endurance put them to shame at first; but after two weeks of constant effort they were beginning to catch up with him. Each one's abilities was becoming clear to the others by now, as well: Naruto had incredible endurance, but couldn't match Hinata's speed nor Sakura's control; by contrast Hinata's control was only middling and had the lowest stamina, while Sakura who boasted the highest efficiency when it came to using her chakra lacked the reserves to make it worthwhile.

But they were working on it, though, and even if it took a year they had vowed to get each other on an even footing.

_Day 21_

Hinata grunted under the weight of the ocean, fighting to stay upright in the powerful surf. Next to her stood Sakura, straining in a similar manner, each of them supporting the extra bulk of a perfect copy. Shadow clones provided by Naruto, under transformation and struggling to stay balanced on the outstretched hands of each girl. It was just another stamina exercise, kunoichi with their arms raised into the air, clones doing handstands on them; the object for each girl was to push enough chakra into her legs to avoid falling over, while at the same time exerting the force necessary to support your own body weight.

As if that wasn't bad enough he was making them do squat-thrusts as well, and already she could feel her thighs burning from the effort. Naruto wasn't participating in the exercise, however, still working on the tasks given to him by Sakura which he was trying to do while at the same time doing a series of one-handed pushups. Kakashi-sensei would be retrieving them in ten days, hopefully, and they were in a hurry to advance as far as they could before he started putting them through the wringer.

None of them could recall very many details about his teaching style, let alone if he even had one, and hitting upon a need for physical and psychological readiness the three genin had stepped up their efforts considerably. It was paying off, in small measure, though Naruto was showing his typical impatience in the regularity of his complaints about the apparently slow progress. Sakura was frequently forced to remind him that if they pushed too hard, too soon, they'd just make things worse and actually fall back instead of moving forward, and that it would take time for any appreciable results to appear.

It couldn't stifle his grumbling, however, and Hinata felt like agreeing with him. It would get her mind off of the burning in her shoulders at any rate. Not even the Gentle Fist training could make her hurt this much, and she'd endured a full body tenketsu sealing on multiple occasions. That however had been under the advantage of having her whole body go numb, at the cost of not being able to move. This stuff on the whole was supposedly going to help her overall flexibility, yet she was having trouble seeing how she'd get more limber if after every repetition she felt too sore to move.

But that was the whole point, wasn't it? Every person on the island at this moment was enduring hardship of some sort for the purpose of personal and group improvement. Silently, however, she vowed to get her revenge on Kakashi. She didn't know when, she didn't know how, but it would happen. The rumors about his chronic laziness and the fondness for those little orange books weren't entirely unfounded; in fact she'd been surprised when he'd actually shown up on time a month ago to be given his team, reminding her that it had already been that long.

With a tired groan she finally let her legs and arms give out, the clone dispersing in a puff of smoke as she sank to hands and knees in the surf, taking deep gulps of air that threatened to sear her throat with how sweet and refreshing they were. Hinata gave herself a moment to recover, looking through the strands of dark hair that plastered her face first at Sakura, who was similarly giving in, and then Naruto who apparently had collapsed well before either of them. Understandably, even he had limits. But if he was asleep…no, she couldn't be that cruel to him. It'd just be his turn to cook, and he needed the practice.

_Day 22_

"I'm not saying I'm going to force you into it, I'm just asking if you've ever kissed anyone before!"

"Um, n-no, but I don't really see what this has to do with…"

"It's just idle girl talk, don't be so shy all the time! You'll never get the guy you like if you're always hiding in the shadows poking your fingers together."

"Would you at least tell me why you even started thinking about this in the first place?"

"Call it the result of a weird dream I had. Now come on, do you want to try it out?"

"I thought you said you weren't going to force me into it! I don't really think I could give away my first kiss that easily anyway."

"So don't think of it as your first kiss. Think of it as practice so you can reel in that guy you have your heart set on easier once you work up the nerve to talk to him."

"Well, when you put it that way…"

"That's the spirit! Pucker up and give it a shot!"

"W-wait!"

…

"Hehehe! You're pretty good at this!"

"I wasn't ready…My turn!"

"Ack!"

_Day 30_

Kakashi would be retrieving them tomorrow, so today they were going to take it easy. Naruto had spent most of the previous day's rest period crafting a surfboard out of a log he'd felled but ended up not needing to use for firewood; today he was going to test it out. He'd come to the idea in a flash of inspiration, watching dolphins out in the distance riding the waves like it was nothing. Of course people would need something to help them float and that had led to the idea of using a board. If it worked he'd invent a new sport for beachgoers. If it didn't, well at least he was a strong swimmer.

Sakura and Hinata were sunning themselves on the chairs he'd helped make—_If this ninja thing doesn't pan out I've got a solid career as a carpenter ahead of me_—though where they'd gotten the bathing suits from was a pure mystery and he suspected it was an illusion technique to protect their modesty. Not a theory that he wanted to test, though; he had more important things on his mind. With the long plank under his arm he waded into the surf in just his undershorts, glad for their dark color. As soon as he was chest-deep in the water Naruto laid the board out and settled himself on top of it.

Paddling out was a bit more difficult than he'd planned, and at the same time easier than he'd expected. He found a rhythm to it: wait for a wave to pass and then propel himself madly into the trough, before calming down to ride the crest back up. Getting a fair distance from the shore he turned the board around and moved to a sitting position, spending a few moments figuring out the balance. Then the next wave came and he laid out again, paddling along with it, until it started to break—quickly he got to his feet, spreading them out along the length of the board and crouching to help his balance.

The wave carried him swiftly and it felt almost like he was riding the wind above the frothing water instead of being pushed along by the twelve-foot swell. It was an exhilarating rush and he whooped out, letting his legs move all on their own, following the path that the board wanted to take. As wave and rider neared the shallows, the wave curled over on itself and nearly threw Naruto off his footing, but a quick twist of his waist sent him into carving straight down the tube and another sharp turn to his right brought him over the crest and way into the air. Scrambling madly the boy grabbed the edge of the board to try and complete the turn, managing to come back down on the slope of another wave, pointed at the beach once more.

"Naruto, that's _awesome!_" Sakura cheered, watching the whole thing with amusement. She spared a look at Hinata, whose head was bowed as if afraid, but nothing could hide the small, proud smile on her face or the way her shoulders trembled as though she were laughing.

"That's our Naruto all right. He's simply…amazing." Together the two girls cheered him on further as he worked up the nerve to try that again. Well, at least he'd proven it could work, though the fins sticking out of either side of the board into the water were making it a little hard to steer in anything other than a straight line unless he leaned his whole body into it. Maybe on the next one he could move the fins towards the tail, and make them dig into the waves more steeply.

Remembering that he probably wouldn't have time to try that refinement out tempered his good mood, and on the next wave that he caught Naruto rode it all the way to shore, letting the nose dig into the sand before he stepped off and gathered it up. Walking over to his associates he stuck the tail end into the dunes and leaned against it jauntily right up to the point that he and it fell over.

Hinata giggled at that and Sakura just rolled her eyes, reaching out a hand to help him up while he spat out some grit and put on a sheepish grin.

"Guess that's what I get for hubris, huh?"

_Hatake mission log, entry 452:_

_Observations of Team Seven, following their completion of survival training:_

_As expected the students handed to me by the Academy have performed beyond initial projections. I know they will be eager and anxious to return to Konoha to begin real missions, and I am considering starting them on C-rank tasks to make up for the time they've been gone. The training regimen that they've adopted is workable, but, like Naruto's little project involving the board, could use improvement. I am a little disappointed that they never once detected me, except perhaps Hinata, but if she determined my presence did not make her teammates aware of it._

_I'll have to take a more hands-on approach to training them; their current rate of progress is acceptable, though increasing the intensity somewhat cannot be too detrimental. Each team member seems to have a working knowledge of the others' deficiencies; I believe that with my assistance they can achieve a level of parity within six months if they are willing to endure the hardships. Using the survival test as a basis, however, I think that none of them will object. If they're capable and willing of setting this pace for themselves, then enhancing the regimen can only lead to further team cohesion._

_The sole issue remains with Naruto's seal. It is still functioning properly but I am worried that it is letting enough of the Nine-Tails' chakra through for the Hyuuga girl to recognize it, though not identify what exactly it belongs to. If approached I may have to pass it off as a bloodline limit, even though that is not anywhere near the actual hereditary trait passed on by the Uzumaki clan. Signs indicate that Jiraiya may be returning around the time of the preliminary exams five months from now. If and when he shows up I'll have to talk to him about investigating Naruto's seal._

_I wonder if Naruto's aware of his passenger._


	4. Ramen

The target of their latest mission sauntered through a flowerbed and caught wind of something that didn't belong amidst the scent of flowers and honeybees, and promptly went to investigate. Right on cue Hinata dropped from the tree she'd been hiding in and scooped the animal up into her arms, enduring some frantic flailing from the cat before it recognized the girl's scent and calmed down. That lavender body wash she preferred really helped in soothing the creature, and within a minute the orange tabby was acting docile enough for Sakura to approach and slip the collar back onto its neck, making sure to secure it properly this time.

The other cat in the flower patch wandered off a short distance, rather smugly, and in a puff of smoke transformed back into Naruto. His talent for transforming into beings of the opposite gender was coming in handy in ways he'd never thought of. Retrieving the pet carrier from where he'd left it he wandered over to Hinata and Sakura, holding the door open while they finished fawning over the tabby. "Okay, furball, time to go home. Can you try to behave a little more next time?" He received a dismissive meow from the cat in response, but he hopped out of Hinata's arms into the carrier all the same. There'd been enough adventure for one day.

After returning the pet to his owner and collecting their fee, Team Seven was free to relax before their evening training session. Naruto immediately suggested heading to Ichiraku's for a bite to eat, even offering to pay; the girls on the other hand didn't seem too keen on the idea. Both had excuses and both were true, so Naruto was left to enjoy Ichiraku's all by his lonesome. Their loss, though he did find himself wishing that he had people to spend time with besides his team and teachers. It would make passing the time much easier.

Hell, he'd even accept an interruption from Konohamaru right about now. At least he wasn't getting as many cold stares recently. It seemed that when people saw that Naruto was actually capable of being polite and helpful (to a point) that their misgivings about the orphan boy evaporated partway, and there had always been those—like Teuchi and Ayame—who were willing to ignore his antics and see the lonely child behind them. Making his way through Konoha's streets to the ramen stand, Naruto slipped into his favorite spot at the counter, flashing a grin to the owner and slipping a few bills forward to ask for his usual fare.

A dark shape settled into the seat beside him and for a moment Naruto stiffened, expecting a confrontation. Sasuke ordered a bowl of miso with a bean roll on the side, stating that he didn't normally eat ramen but he'd heard that Ichiraku's was "the best" before glancing aside at Naruto.

"So, clown, tell me about Kakashi-sensei." The insult set Naruto to bristling, the hairs on his neck prickling up in offense against the casual way that Sasuke demeaned him. He'd done his best to ignore it while they were just candidates, but now…

"Why don't you ask him yourself, jerk? Surely the Uchiha genius can figure out how to find combat arena sixteen at seven in the morning." Focusing his attention on the bowl of beef ramen in front of him, Naruto began to eat ravenously, pushing his thoughts to consider what sort of training that Kakashi might have for him since Hinata had to attend a formal dinner with her family and Sakura was helping out in the clinic. Of course he'd forget about that in his desire to grow stronger, but they had lives away from him and he wouldn't begrudge them that.

"I'm not trying to steal your teacher away from you, dumbass. I just want to know what you think about him. Or do you mean to imply that Leaf ninja aren't allowed to associate with each other just because they're put on different teams?" The bristling continued and Naruto fought to keep from choking on his noodles, washing it down with a healthy slurp of the broth in the bowl.

"He's a lazy bum who always shows up late to training sessions and always has his nose stuck in one of those perverted little books. That said he knows his stuff so when he does show up on time, Kakashi-sensei pushes us as hard as he can to make us understand our limits better. You know what he did for our first training? Dumped us on a desert island for a month and let us fend for ourselves; then when he brought us back, borrowed the training we'd set up for ourselves and made it even tougher." Naruto knew that Hinata had connections and maybe Kakashi was afraid of losing face in front of the Hyuugas; that said it didn't change the fact that he had his genin working hard six out of every seven days in the week. "I wouldn't trade him for the world."

Was Kakashi one of the people he cared about? Well maybe. He was very direct and took cheap shots all the time, yet always had the time to answer questions if there was something that they really didn't seem to be getting in a way that made so much sense that they didn't feel stupid for needing it explained. Though he didn't have much experience to go on, Naruto figured that it must be what having a big brother was like. "What about your sensei? What's she like?"

"Very…interesting. Skilled at taijutsu and ninjutsu, but specializes in genjutsu. Always makes us find her before she'll start a lesson. Kurenai-sensei has a fetish for 'team synergy', whatever that means. My teacher keeps insisting that we find a way to make our fighting skills work for each other. She can't seem to get it through her head that those two are just holding me back."

"You ever stop to think maybe you're the one holding you back? Just because you're a so-called genius doesn't mean you don't have things to learn. You're not alone so stop acting like it." Naruto didn't feel like asking for a second bowl of ramen like he normally would, offering his thanks to Ayame for her hospitality before swiveling in his seat to leave.

Sasuke caught his shoulder as he stood up and nearly caught a fist to the jaw.

"Naruto. A weakling like you doesn't deserve Kakashi-sensei."

"I'll let him know you said that. If you'll _excuse me_, I have a personal instruction session that I don't want to be late for."

It didn't take much time after that to arrive at the training ground where, still seething from the run-in with Sasuke. If he didn't understand him before, the Uchiha was downright incomprehensible now. Who the fuck did he think he was, lording it over everyone like that when he hadn't yet done a damn thing to prove his worth as a ninja? Sure, he was expected to just bow before the mighty clansman and pretend that he was lower than dirt; Naruto's way was far different though. If someone wanted to step on your back it better be for a damn good reason and not just because they thought they were too good to set foot on the ground.

His anger at Sasuke's behavior and words had him throwing kunai in quick succession at one of the many targets that decorated the combat field, firing each one with an intensity and accuracy that the blond normally didn't possess. Right when he was about to throw another he realized he'd tossed his last one, and with a grumble started towards the blade-riddled target. Halfway there, however, a long-handled knife with a red tassel tied to the end shot out and embedded itself to the hilt in the exact middle of the target dummy, nearly creasing Naruto's cheek in the process.

Turning to see who had thrown the weapon, Naruto spied an older genin with blank white eyes and long brown hair advancing on him with another knife in hand. Panicked as he thought he was under attack, he reached into his pouch for a set of shuriken, but then relaxed as he spotted the Leaf insignia on the headband he wore. The tone he used when he addressed Naruto was cool, though respectful.

"I did not mean to startle you, Uzumaki. You are on a team with my cousin, I believe? I am Neji. I wish to hear about your training."

"Great god in heaven, are you here to put me down, too?" Neji tilted his head, puzzled at Naruto's words, and then answered in the negative.

"I have no such intentions. I only want to hear if Hinata is performing as should be expected of a Hyuuga."

"She does okay by my reckoning. But why are you asking me? She said she'd be at a formal dinner tonight. Or do you mean to say you weren't invited?"

"The dinner you speak of was reserved for Lord Hiashi and other main family members. I am not going to discuss the details of clan affairs with an outsider. Please answer only this: in your assessment, is Hinata showing signs of becoming a strong and capable ninja who will bring honor to the Hyuuga house?"

Naruto had to pause and ponder for a minute, his earlier moment of gut-wrenching fear ignored as he thought over the question of Hinata. "Personally? I think she's better than she gives herself credit for. I always feel like she's holding back or something. Like she's afraid that if she shows her teammates up that we'll be insulted and hate her. It's kind of silly if you ask me. If she gets better than us, then we just have to work harder to close the gap, right?" Neji fixed him with the white-eyed gaze that seemed to be looking through him rather than at him, and Naruto barely caught the telltale signs that the Hyuuga bloodline had been triggered.

He'd seen Hinata use it enough to know what to look for, right at the temples and just beneath the eye sockets; the user's blood vessels filled up to supply the extra energy needed to use the trait and the person triggering it tended to adopt an expression that he could only call hateful, even if it was someone gentle like Hinata doing it. He relaxed at the same time as Neji did, pulling the blade out of the dummy and offering it to the Hyuuga handle-first.

"It may be that her fate and yours are changing. Uzumaki. Take care that you do not harm her, or I will be most upset with you." Neji took the blade and sheathed it, before performing a body flicker and disappearing from view.

"What was that about?" At least he wasn't angry at Sasuke anymore.

_Author's notes: I'm appreciating the feedback so far, guys. Unfortunately I don't plan to make this story my main focus but it will get worked on frequently, so expect short but numerous chapters and me skipping over some things to get to the meat of it all. As long as people keep reading, I'll keep writing._


	5. Gamblers

Tazuna was forced to come clean as they stopped at a small town on the road to Wave Country. A run-in with two B-ranked rogue ninja had tipped his hand, and he was worried that they'd abandon him. That lovely little Hinata, however, had spoken to his defense most admirably, displaying a chip on her shoulder that was reinforced by that loudmouthed—and lucky—blond kid. He on the other hand was just an old architect with a mission. He knew Kakashi Hatake by reputation, as did many others, and had seen his skill was not at all an exaggeration. Currently his hired guardians and himself were in the upstairs rooms of a cheap roadhouse, listening to boisterous noise coming from the ground floor.

"You push those kids pretty hard." Kakashi just nodded at him silently, scraping a kunai across a whetstone languidly as he listened to the man talk. In the next room over, Hinata and Sakura were getting some much-needed rest, while Naruto was downstairs being…Naruto. "Not that I blame you. Ninja life is hard, from what I hear. Never saw the appeal of it, myself, but I've always been more into building things, not tearing them down."

"Those children are going to shape the future, Tazuna. It's my job to make sure they're ready for the trials on the road ahead. It could mean the difference between life and death, and I'd rather they live long enough to fulfill their dreams. The fewer battles they have to fight on my account the happier I am."

"Is that so, Hatake? You just make sure you keep them out of trouble as best you can. Especially the loudmouth, and I don't mean the pink-haired one. Can't say what it is about him, but when I look at him I feel a sense of…familiarity. His name was Uzumaki, right?"

"That's right. Naruto Uzumaki. Dreams big and looks up to the people in high places. If you let him talk to you long enough he'll say he wants to be the Hokage someday."

"Wouldn't happen to be related to the same Uzumakis that lived in Whirlpool decades back, would he?"

"And how much do you know about that, hm?"

"Enough that it's a state secret and saying too much will get me disappeared; does he know who his parents are?"

"Not yet. The Hokage's decision. If he figures it out before he's fifteen, fine, but nobody is allowed to tell him before then. There are many who would use him for their own ends, even in Konoha. But the less evidence they have that he is who they think he is, the better."

"Even out in Wave we heard about what happened. How the whole country simply disappeared overnight. And then the same thing nearly happened to Konoha, didn't it?" Tazuna knew he was treading dangerous ground, and didn't care. He was already risking his life for an ideal, and stories were beginning to surface of a group of rogue ninja that were showing an unhealthy interest in the tailed beasts. The activities of this so-called Akatsuki, however, were a distant concern. The old man only wanted to get the bridge finished, and hopefully stiff that cretin Gato in the process.

"That is something I cannot tell you, Tazuna. Except to tell you that you're wrong about what happened to Whirlpool." Konoha had undertaken a widespread disinformation campaign, and there were few left alive who knew the truth about their ally's destruction. Kakashi was one of those scant few and he hated every memory of it. Konoha had destroyed Whirlpool and absorbed its population into the Land of Fire in order to protect it from the constant war for their mastery over sealing techniques. And he'd helped raze the village to the ground; merely wearing the emblem on his vest made him feel like a traitor. So Tazuna would have to remain ignorant. And as for Naruto…

Naruto was currently enjoying the hell out of himself, using a simple transformation to disguise himself so they wouldn't kick him out of the game for being too young. To most people he would appear as a young man in his early twenties, with wild black hair and expressive blue eyes as well as a smile that could make the ladies swoon; a few of the more astute observers might recognize his visage as being directly from the cover of Icha Icha Paradise, Volume 1, which he'd personally never read but had seen inside the vault he'd taken the Forbidden Scroll from.

There weren't many in Konoha who would gamble with him because of his quick eyes, or rather there weren't many who would try to cheat against him, even fellow ninja; the blond had a talent for picking up on the less obvious signs of treachery and often responded by pranking the offender the next day, so most had learned to play honest with him or just not let him in on the games at all. The boy was plenty smart enough to lose every so often so people wouldn't think _he_ was cheating, but on the whole he won more than he lost, leading to his purse getting noticeably fatter.

The game paused for a moment as a blonde woman with a diamond-shaped marking on her forehead and the blush of intoxication stumbled into the room where the young men were playing; even Naruto let out a low whistle as his eyes roved over the stunning figure. She was slurring slightly but still coherent, and right at that point where inhibitions vanished but not control.

"Damn, finally managed to ditch that stick in the mud…hey, did you boys know you've got a disguised child playing with you?" The husky-voiced woman slumped heavily onto one of the couches, fanning her exposed cleavage; her eyes, blue as the sky, locked on Naruto's and she delivered a feral grin. _Holy crap, she's a ninja?_ "Bet that sours you right up, doesn't it? Hehe. So how about it, kid, you and me, one on one, double or nothing, and if you lose all your money you won plus everything you had with you when you came in goes back to these fine fellas.." None of them really seemed to care that Naruto had been outed as not quite old enough to legally play; he'd run a fair game and hadn't shorted them on payouts so they were apt to let him stay.

The woman's eyes narrowed slightly when he dropped his disguise, humoring her detection of his shroud. These villagers weren't Konoha citizens and didn't know Naruto, weren't going to judge him by anything but the Leaf on his forehead and the money in his pocket. "You got yourself a game, lady. Oh, and if you lose, you and me take a trip to my bedroom, sound fair?" She fixed him with another look and then a cheeky grin, her drunkenness getting the better of her as the stakes meant she didn't lose any money, just a little dignity. She could always knock the little pervert out and run off with the cash, and boy did she need it.

Naruto placed his purse in the innkeeper's hands for safekeeping, and moved to a fresh table, frowning internally. He knew he'd seen that face before, but he couldn't place just where…but it was so familiar. Someone he should know, though couldn't remember. Oh well. It would come to him later. So would her name, once he got her upstairs. He was on fire tonight and wasn't even going to dream about quitting now.

Card games were Naruto's favorite, because they were one of the few times that random chance was truly involved. The dealer's hands in this case belonged to the woman now seated across from him while the other players he'd been betting against earlier had gathered in a loose circle, already betting on the outcome. "Rules are simple, kid. Five rounds, three sets in each round. Deck is shuffled after each set and the one who takes the most sets is the winner. Sets are determined by books, so you can't just swap cards out randomly and hope for the best."

It was new and that automatically made it the best game he'd ever played, simply on the fact that he didn't know it, though a few of the older gentlemen seemed to recognize the setup. She didn't offer a name for it but Naruto overheard one man muttering that she "had to be crazy to play Sacrifice". For Naruto, this wasn't a problem; picking up the rules as you went along was what made these sorts of things interesting. Listening to the rules he figured it wouldn't be that hard to pull off a win.

Naruto took the first set, his opponent the second; the third was a draw, ending the first round. Money changed hands and people clapped the boy on the shoulders, but at this point he was completely focused on the game. His luck was beginning to sour; the platinum lady ran all three sets of the next round, while he only took two in the third. At this point he was beginning to sweat, metaphorically speaking, at the skill with which the buxom blonde in the green haori displayed with this game. Being new to it he couldn't say if she was cheating somehow. By the end of the fourth round they were tied; the last round would determine the winner, just like in the classic stories.

The gambler downed a cup of sake as she took the first set, leering at Naruto greedily; she thought she had it in the bag, as at this point the score was six sets to five, in her favor. But then Naruto took the next set, tying things up again, and she began angling for a draw, not wanting to risk actually _losing_ to some _kid_. The last hand was played…and then cheers erupted. Naruto ended the game one set ahead of the woman with the twin ponytails going down her back.

"Well played, kid, well played," she slurred at him, looking rather cross. He was a good sport about it, though, helping her to her feet. To show how good a mood he was in he even took a good portion of his winnings from his purse to be dealt equally to the players he'd suckered before, stuffing his wallet back into his main-hand pouch before walking back to his defeated opponent.

"Okay, then! You agreed to the stakes, so…" Grudgingly she let him put his arm around her waist; Naruto flashed a grin at his new friends as he escorted the lady towards the stairs, mercifully refraining from grabbing her bottom. And then as soon as they were upstairs and in the vacant room Naruto had claimed for his own (so he didn't have to listen to Kakashi snoring)—the gambler grabbed him in a surprisingly strong neck hold and shoved his back against the door, glaring daggers into his soul.

"Right then. Don't think for a second that I'm gonna do anything for a squirt whose pecker probably doesn't even point in the right direction, let alone work in the way a lady needs. What's your name, brat?"

"Naruto…Uzumaki…" Oddly enough he wasn't afraid, didn't experience fear, as he felt her fingers tightening against his windpipe. His fingers began to form the hand seal for the shadow clones, but another squeeze stopped him.

"Bullshit. The last Uzumaki died years ago. So there's no way you can be one of them, brat!" The world was beginning to get hazy at its edges, and his lungs were burning for a proper breath, yet he smiled and resumed his effort to form the hand sign.

"Should've told…my mom when she had me…" If he'd been able to see into a mirror right at that moment that his pupils had narrowed to vertical slits and his canines were beginning to get longer. The woman gripping his neck could see this just fine and promptly dropped him, leaving Naruto to massage his aching throat and wonder what the hell had gotten into this lady. Sitting on the bed she sighed and placed her head in her hands.

"Guess the rumors I heard were wrong, then. So what are you doing here, kid? You're a Leaf ninja, that much I can see; you here to take me back?"

"Huh? I don't even know you, lady, even if your face does look kind of familiar…" Naruto _knew_ he'd seen her face somewhere. Kakashi's Bingo Book? No, she'd be throwing his body out the window if she were a missing-nin… "Just a layover on an escort mission, don't see what it's got to do with you. Hoping to hit the border tomorrow so I'd better rest up." His eyes were back to normal as were his teeth, though his throat was still a little sore. For such a weak-looking body she sure had a lot of strength.

"I guess that's your story then, huh, kid? Well fine, you earned this, but don't think it's gonna happen again." Slipping off the outer layer of clothing she bared her arms to him, wearing a sleeveless undercoat; then as Naruto watched slipped the garment off her shoulders, letting it bunch up around her waist. Admittedly the woman was plenty attractive, putting even Hinata and Kurenai to shame; even so he couldn't let her do this, using that little wager as an excuse to get her out of harm's way. Everything about her had screamed 'sucker' and a little bit of his heart had went out to her.

Stepping up to this woman, Naruto kept his eyes steadily on her face, no matter how much they wanted to slide down to her generous developments. Gripping her shoulders he pushed her to lie flat on the bed and then draped the sheet over her, obscuring what he shouldn't really be looking at in the first place. "Sorry, princess, but the old man says if you have to get her drunk then you've done something wrong. It's not like you aren't pretty, but I've still got a job to do and you have alcohol to sleep off." At her frown he just smiled, leaning in to kiss that little diamond mark on her forehead. "You owe me, though. Goodnight, lady."

He'd never caught her name, but that was alright with him. Slipping out of the room he generated a clone and had it shift into a cat, to watch and make sure the gambler would really be alright. Naruto shrugged his shoulders and wandered into Kakashi's room nonchalantly. His teacher raised the one visible eyebrow as Naruto took off his headband and began to change into his night clothes.

"Didn't you pay for your own room, Naruto?"

"Gave it away to a princess."

"If you've been seducing women under transformation…" Naruto stuck his tongue out at Kakashi, grabbing a pillow and laying out his bed roll on the floor.

"Just gambling with my life. Goodnight, Kakashi-sensei. Don't let Tazuna step on me."


	6. Waves

They stopped again at the border to Wave country, or rather, several miles from it. There was no real schedule to keep, in truth, even though the genin and their teacher were well aware that they could only delay for so long. Even so Kakashi wanted, needed to test their skills thus far, and introduce them to new techniques. He wanted to introduce them, too, to basic level elemental techniques, and find out just how strong their affinities actually were.

Especially Sakura; heading into the Wave Country and being surrounded by water, there would be plenty of elemental chakra for her to fuel her techniques with. If she could learn the basics quickly she might even be able to pull off elemental substitution. It was supposedly a B-level technique, but learning how to use the chakra of your element rather than what you were born with was just one more thing a skilled ninja had to get accustomed to if they wanted to survive in hostile territory.

Such skills were how jounin and kage-level ninja were able to use the more powerful techniques in their arsenal. It did still require some of your own chakra, but not so much that you were unable to repeat the performance. And after the run-in with the renegade Zabuza, who he seriously doubted was actually dead…he needed to prepare them for the fact that they might have to kill someone. He worried for his team, in that case. None of them had ever been forced to kill. Even those two Water ninja that had ambushed them had been spared, though they may never be able to use ninjutsu again.

"Okay, kids, let's see how much you really know. Take a look at that stand of trees there. The three of you have only one task: to walk up that tree and onto the underside of the branch hanging over the road. Take as long as you need, but try not to fall off and break your necks." Kakashi gave them a demonstration, planting one foot on the trunk and pushing his chakra into the wood. His other foot then left the ground and in total defiance of the laws of gravity he began to walk up the tree to the branch he'd indicated. Without missing a beat he made the transition to the underside, stepping out over the road and looking down at his students. "Easier than breathing, once you get the hang of it."

Releasing his chakra Kakashi fell to the ground, executing a half-turn in midair to land on his feet as naturally as if he'd been retrieving the morning paper. His students stood awestruck, more from the display of acrobatics than the tree-walking. It was now noon; he expected they'd be able to master it by sundown if not sooner. And the sooner that they mastered it, the sooner they could begin their elemental training.

Standing back in the shadows to watch their progress, he wasn't disappointed. Sakura, as hoped, figured it out first, and before long she was stuck to the underside of the branch, her braid hanging down towards the road like the pull rope for a bell. She wasn't letting go to match the acrobatics, either, keeping herself attached for as long as possible. The girl offered triumphant grins to her two teammates, carefully calculated to drive them to catch up.

Hinata was next on the pecking order, leaving small divots as she stepped up the tree trunk. Slowly, but confidently, a little bit of bark sticking to her shoes with each foot forward; like Naruto she'd fallen several times and had the sore rump to prove it, yet wasn't about to give up just from that. Naruto had pushed them far harder during the exile, and it was more a matter of figuring out how to let go, rather than how to stick. The Hyuuga heir didn't have much trouble with such a concept, though, and within an hour she'd stopped falling off the tree, and there wasn't any more bark sticking to her feet.

Sakura hugged Hinata as soon as her fellow kunoichi managed to make her way over to where she stood, the Hyuuga enduring with a blush and reserved smile. Even when Sakura kissed her joyfully the pale-eyed girl didn't falter, simply blushing more deeply. Kakashi watched this exchange closely. He'd thought that the originator of the Ninja Centerfold transformation would be the one to show a vested interest in women, not the one who aspired to be a medical expert.

His students' preferences in relationships would have to wait awhile. Naruto, to his dismay, was still showing some difficulty even staying on the tree, let alone getting to the point where he could climb it. Chakra control had always been his primary weakness, though in direct combat it didn't often matter. Such as in the fight with Zabuza; the shock he'd shown at the time, seeing his students work out a plan to free him from the water prison as if they were communicating telepathically and then executing it flawlessly was now gone, and pride had faded. Now it was tempered with disappointment, and the sun was beginning to near the horizon to the west.

"Naruto. Enough for today." Stepping out of the trees opposite the road Kakashi gestured to Hinata and Sakura, who complied without question and dropped to the ground with considerably less grace, but that would come with time.

"No way! I'm not leaving until I get this right!" The boy's dogged persistence was admirable, as well as misplaced. Such stubbornness was the sort of thing that got people killed, usually by their own overdoing it.

"Now, Naruto. Moderation is also key to a good ninja." That earned him a murderous scowl, and again the blond refused, attacking the tree once more. He managed to get halfway up the trunk before his chakra slipped, and he crashed down again, landing roughly on his shoulder with a none-too-healthy crunch. Undeterred, he stood up once more, the fire in his eyes daring Kakashi to try and take him away from it. The pain in his arm was nothing compared to the ache of failing yet again.

* * *

It broke Hinata's heart to watch Naruto trying and failing, over and over. Almost unbearable to witness, infuriating that she didn't know any way that she could help him. Once she might have had a crush on him, but after working with him for several months now that had subsided partially. Granted, she still felt affection for Naruto; it was too soon to call it love, she'd realized, and though she was still willing to do anything and everything to support and protect him, sometimes he had to be left to learn things for himself.

That is what really gnawed at her, the certainty that eventually her friend would run up against an obstacle that no amount of assistance from those around him would help in surmounting it. Hinata finished her meal and stood with a bow to their host and then turned to Kakashi. "Excuse me, sensei, I am going to take a walk."

"Don't wander too far off."

"Yes sir." Departing the house, Hinata let her feet carry her as they will, not paying attention to the exact direction, as she was confident that if she got lost then she could just follow her footsteps back. The moon was beginning to rise above the treetops, bathing the world in its silvery glow; she felt somewhat miniscule under its unblinking gaze. Hinata glared back up at it, feeling an uncharacteristic anger welling up inside her at the unfairness of it all, and briefly pondered if this is how Neji usually felt. But railing against things you couldn't change was pointless and would just lead her to make incredible logical fallacies and begin believing in something absurd, so after taking a deep breath to calm herself, she continued on.

Her footsteps halted again at the edge of a field of flowers. Under the moonlight the yellowish blossoms seemed to shimmer with their own radiance, filling the air with a golden haze. That wasn't what gave her pause, even though they certainly were beautiful. What made her stop was the young woman kneeling in the grass, carefully gathering up a bouquet.

"Ah, um, I'm sorry to disturb you…" she stammered. The other female turned, making a soft frown as though she hadn't heard Hinata approaching.

"It is alright… The flowers don't mind, so neither do I. Were you taking a walk to clear your head?" The girl didn't seem too perturbed by Hinata's intrusion, turning to face the dark-haired ninja and adopting a cross-legged sitting position, though careful to not crush too many of the blooms.

"Sort of," was the quiet reply. "There is someone I care about, but don't know how to help. He's facing an obstacle right now and I've been able to do nothing to improve his chances. All I can do is stand by and watch him fail, and it…angers me that this is so."

"I understand. We two are alike, probably. May I ask this of you: why is it that you care?" Why indeed? Hinata weighed her answer carefully, stepping more closely to kneel down beside the girl.

"Before I answer, may I have your name?"

"Haku. Nothing more."

"Hinata. It is very simple, Haku. I care because no-one else will. All my life I have watched this person endure senseless hatred and empty regret. The other ninja of the village I come from, they all look at him with sadness, as if he reminds them of something; the civilians on the other hand openly despise him. Is it wrong to want to shield him from that? To give him whatever love I can?"

"It is what I would do, in your place. I have someone I wish to protect as well, though not quite in the same manner. I am… how best to phrase it? You could say that I am whatever he needs me to be. If I am to die I can think of no better use of my life than to help the one I care about achieve his goal. If he needs a sword, then I am a keen-edged blade and if he needs a sacrifice then I am that as well."

"A broken shield is of no use to anyone, Haku. But I think I get your meaning. I would probably do the same for my own… as selfish as it would be, dying for someone else, it is still something I could do freely and willingly. If he needed me to."

"Can you keep a secret?"

"Easily."

"I like to kiss girls."

"Are you a girl yourself?"

"If I said yes, would you kiss me? Or do you wish to save it for your precious person?"

"I c-could try…if I think of it as practice." Why did everyone with tits want to kiss her all of a sudden? Haku took Hinata's hands in her own and adopted a fey expression, leaning in close. Hinata's breath caught in her throat, heart beating with anticipation. Closing her eyes partway she leaned in herself, and met Haku's lips with her own. The feeling was tender, warm, much like she imagined it would be with…well, anyone she cared about enough to consider doing this to. She was blushing again, cheeks colored in response to what she'd just done, but Hinata didn't care. She liked kissing girls, too.

_I wonder what father would think about that._

* * *

Even Naruto had his limits, much to his chagrin. The moon had been up for two hours now and he actually felt as if he'd been regressing, not progressing, regardless of what the marks on the tree said. His best efforts aside he had not made any real advancement, managing only to get a foot or so higher than his previous best, and it was starting to eat at him. At long last the exertions of the day had caught up with him and discontented he sat down and leaned against the tree, wondering what it was exactly that he was doing wrong.

Exhaustion caught up with him and he dozed off, having a rather vivid dream about the trees coming to life and trying to walk up him instead, crushing him every time, and it showed no signs of stopping anytime soon when something jolted him awake. Startled, he jerked backwards, thunking his head against the tree and swearing in pain. As his vision cleared he murmured a quick apology for his language, looking from the gambler to the younger woman carrying a pig in a pearl necklace.

"Princess..? Uh, what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, kid. You picked a hell of a place to take a nap, Naruto."

"Glad you remembered my name… You're not still…mad about the other night, are you?" The black-haired woman carrying the pig looked about ready to kill him, a trio of senbon appearing in her hand before 'Princess' extended a hand and stopped her. "Calm down, Shizune. Naruto was nothing but a gentleman."

"But, Lady Tsunade, he said…"

"I heard what he said! All he did was beat me at cards and then give me his room. Nothing else." Naruto's head whipped up to look at Tsunade incredulously, but wisely he kept his mouth shut. That's why he recognized her; he'd seen her picture in the Hokage's office! "I'd still like to know what you're doing sleeping outside. Did the village run you off and you make up that thing about an escort mission to save face?" He frowned again, squinting at her in annoyance before jerking a thumb at the tree which had assaulted his skull.

"Training. Trying to master tree climbing, but it's not going so well. You know any tricks to it or am I stuck figuring it out on my own?" The nap had left him feeling a little refreshed and he stood, working his left arm to see if it had gone back to normal yet. It wasn't the first time he'd broken a limb after doing something stupid and probably wouldn't be the last, all things considered. There wasn't any crunching as he tested the shoulder, though Naruto knew the muscles would be tight for at least another day.

"What happened to your arm, kid? Looks like it hurts."

"Broke the shoulder when I fell off the tree. It's fine now, so don't worry about it." Tsunade favored him with disapproval, while Shizune just looked a little bemused. He wasn't about to say no to her, so just stripped off his jacket and let her take a look at the arm, his torso clad in a sleeveless shirt with a high collar in the style ANBU liked to wear. "See, there's not even a scar. I get hurt all the time and just heal right up as if it never happened."

"I can think of a few reasons why, kid. Can't say much about it right now, I'm afraid." Leaning close to Naruto she whispered into his ear, low enough that Shizune couldn't pick it up. "If you think there's a risk of your passenger trying to leave before the ride ends, let someone know immediately. You got that?" Focusing just right she could see signs of what he wasn't allowed to discuss, very subtle but plainly obvious to the one who had practically redefined the role of medic-nins.

Naruto gulped and nodded, this being the first time someone had made him aware that his body was being used as a vessel for something more. As far as he'd known before, he was just the container, a host for a prison that was inaccessible to everyone but the one who'd made the seal to begin with and who was, unfortunately, quite dead so unable to reverse his actions. Tsunade apparently knew different, on the other hand.

"What do you see and how did you figure it out?"

"Back at the road house, before you loaned your room to me. And right now I see…threads of a different color, reaching out from your body and trying to attach to whatever they can. It's likely interfering with what you're trying to do; if I were you I'd find a way to either put them back or make them work for you. Sorry I can't help you more, Naruto. As much as I want to be I'm not as skilled as the Fourth. I'm just a country doctor who loves to gamble, nothing more."

"Sure, sure, but can you do me a favor? Come back and cheer for me in the Chuunin Exams? I'll consider the debt paid if you do."

"I'll think about it, kid. Try to stay alive until then." Giving him a devilish smirk, Tsunade returned the kiss to the forehead he'd given her before, with Shizune spluttering indignantly. Naruto only smiled wanly and watched them go, heading for the coast but hopefully not Wave Country. It was a mess over there and he'd hate to see her get hurt.

Unbeknownst to either of them, or anyone else for that matter, some of the threads had already found their mark. Imperceptible even to Tsunade, two very fine threads of reddish-orange chakra linked him to his teammates, and now a third was stretching off into the distance, following the path of Tsunade's departure. Imperceptible but steady amounts of energy fed themselves along these strands, binding to the targets.

* * *

Gato was dead at Zabuza's hands for daring to insult Haku's attempt to sacrifice herself, and the former Swordsman of the Mist lay dying at her feet. The fake hunter was now on her knees, listening to Zabuza's final words, the swordsman shot through with arrows, bolts, darts and everything else she could name. Yards away Hinata was extracting the senbon from Naruto's body, praying for him to not be dead; Sakura's attention was on the scene before her, though.

She had seen it clearly, even through the summoned mist and Haku's Ice Mirrors. Naruto was moving fast, surprisingly so, and focusing his attacks on destroying the mirrors that Haku had been using to teleport around. For each one he shattered however he took a dozen senbon to vital areas of his body. Hinata's affection for Naruto had overpowered her and she'd retaliated from the outside. When it seemed like the last set of needles had killed him she'd simply exploded. Sakura had seen it clear as the sun: a ball of reddish-orange chakra had shot out of Naruto's body and enveloped the Hyuuga, wreathing her in a burning shroud.

With the ferocity of a beast she'd gone on the offensive, swatting needles aside with a tail made entirely of energy, jabbing her fingers into Haku's tenketsu points, shutting the girl with the ice powers down. Somehow though she'd still found the ability to act, somehow had sensed Zabuza in danger. Moving as fast as her body allowed due to Hinata's assault she'd intercepted Kakashi's attack, moving Zabuza out of harm's way and in the process losing her right arm to the Copy Ninja.

That opening had given the Swordsman of Mist all the opening he needed to shake off the summoned ninja dogs and put some distance between the two fighters. That's when Gato had shown up and delivered his little speech that ended with Zabuza cleaving him in half with his sword. The hired mercenaries hadn't taken kindly to that and started filling him with holes. They were dispatched easily between Zabuza, Kakashi and a still-frenzied Hinata, leaving Sakura free to employ her limited experience towards saving Haku, against the girl's insistence to let her die.

Sakura had managed to reattach the arm, somehow, though it would never have the same dexterity as before unless a professional surgeon performed a proper restorative procedure on it; the limb was bandaged and immobilized against Haku's chest so she could share Zabuza's last moments without getting any more blood on him than he already had.

She never did find out what they said to each other before Zabuza expired, but when he did it marked the official end of the battle for the Great Kaiza Bridge. The name had been Naruto's idea, suggested just last night. The men and women building the bridge arrived too late to face the mercenaries themselves; even so they maintained an aura of solidarity. Never again would greedy men like Gato and his thugs push them around.

Privately Sakura was entertaining self-doubt at her lack of participation in the battle. Tazuna had insisted on coming out to inspect the bridge and see if it had been damaged in his absence, though, and so she'd been assigned to protect him. Sakura supposed that she should feel pride; after all, she'd been picked as the last line of defense in case her teammates failed and Tazuna was in direct danger. That didn't stop feelings of uselessness from creeping into her mind, nor anger that she hadn't been able to rip into the mercenaries along teacher and ally. Those thugs working for nothing more than the glory of gold disgusted her and she was miffed that she'd missed the chance to take the toll in flesh out of them.

Too bad, actually. She knew ways of making people fold in half without killing them, ways of torturing them so that they begged for death, and would tell her everything they knew from when they stopped wetting the bed to how many protected techniques they possessed and what they were…she had an obligation to her team first, though, and couldn't justify taking time out from her duties to have fun.

* * *

_Kakashi Hatake's after-action report, mission #866-C (Reclassified as mission #414-A)_

_Client has been delivered to target destination alive and unharmed. Total duration of mission: 12 days from acceptance to completion. During the mission, Team 7 encountered subjects R-2188-A and R-2188-B; upon resolution of combat mission was reclassified as A-rank. Against my advice Team Seven opted to continue mission (see note #1 appended below) and proceeded on to village of Nakane in southern provinces._

_3 miles from border town of Asahino Team 7 was accosted by Zabuza Momochi. I allowed myself to be captured in a water prison technique to get close enough to place genjutsu on Momochi, facilitated by intervention of Haruno and Uzumaki acting on plan devised by Hyuuga. Swordsman was subdued by apparent hunter-nin, later revealed to be ally working with Zabuza on payroll of Gato._

_No encounters of note occurred between Asahino and border crossing. Once inside Wave, Team 7 boarded at client's home and escorted him to project to ensure status had not been reduced in his absence. Bridge served as ambush point and second skirmish began, culminating in deaths of missing-nins Zabuza Momochi, "Haku", and organized crime boss Gato as well as approximately 51 mercenaries from multiple nations._

_Further details will be given upon debriefing._

_Note #1: Uzumaki has incredible influential abilities over others, the exact nature of which is still unknown. Willing to accept as natural charisma for the time being._

_Note #2: Please assign someone to keep an eye on Naruto's gambling habit._

_Note #3: Possible sighting of Sannin in southern provinces._

_Note #4: IMMEDIATE URGENCY. Protective measures on Case "U" may be weakening. Sealing expert required to assess effectiveness of precautions. Request expert to be brought to Konoha ASAP. Monitoring Case "U" for any and all aberrant behavior. Will advise as necessary. Destroy this note after reading per directive 688 subsection J._


	7. Preparation

Hinata stared at the mirror in her private baths, hands placed on the painstakingly-crafted porcelain sink as she turned her head this way and that. She could still clearly remember that raw…fury that she had somehow pulled from Naruto's body, a mere three weeks ago though it felt like a lifetime. There was no mistaking it as she glanced at her reflection. Very clearly she could see a trio of inch-long markings on each cheek, right at the jawline and angled so that, if they happened to get any longer, they'd give the plain impression of whiskers. For now she could hide them with her hair, although she wondered how and why they'd shown up in the first place.

Was it possible to admire someone so strongly that your body began to undergo physical changes to match shifts in behavior and thinking? It wasn't just that she'd been feeling more confident in her own abilities. Hinata knew she wasn't acting like herself, being more outspoken, more…vibrant, leading to some of the branch members to comment that she was acting like she did before her mother had died. Not that she recalled ever being so extroverted. She had even had the gall to tease Hanabi this morning! For now, she'd keep it a secret and say that being with Kakashi-sensei had revealed a side to her she hadn't known existed.

They'd buy that explanation, for awhile at least. If she kept on changing like this, though, there'd be no way to cover it up. An investigation would be mounted, and she could be exiled, or worse, disowned. Hiashi loved her, she knew that, even if her father was strict out of necessity. The one thing she could never do was to bring dishonor onto the name of Hyuuga. Hanabi may have replaced her older sister as candidate for leadership upon Hiashi's eventual but inevitable demise, but Hinata was still an heir in her own right and as such had a responsibility to maintain her family's honor.

So she'd keep it a secret for as long as she could. It was the least she could do.

(break for dinner)

Across the city another kunoichi was puzzling over a similar predicament. Sakura had found her feelings to have calmed down once the team had put enough distance between itself and the sites of battle, though the urgent thoughts still lingered in her mind. For a short window she'd been given the chance to be free of morals, free of constraints, that much could be seen, now that the window was shut. Would the window ever come again? The first fight, against the puddle-jumpers, and then the second one with Zabuza, those had whetted her appetite, given her a taste of the psychotic thrill that career soldiers often talked about while they convalesced in her parents' hospital.

Having felt it for herself Sakura came to the conclusion that she wanted more of it, like a drug, yet if she were not careful then this desire for power would overwhelm her, consume her body and soul. The pink-haired kunoichi knew the signs, having seen them before, and currently it was enough to say that she already had power. If she had to guess she would say that she'd definitely gotten stronger, in every way that mattered. Her thoughts were clear and her body was fit, much moreso than it had ever been while in school. There'd be plenty of ways to satisfy these other desires while out on missions, so she was able to push the want to the back of her mind.

There was one other thing that made her pause, though. Sakura recognized that emotion, too, surprised as she was by the source of it. Envy? Yes, envy. She envied her friend—was Naruto her friend?—of course he was. He shared his lunches, taught her tricks, listened to her advice as best as his simple but honest heart would allow, and it was this that let her come to the conclusion that she envied him. She envied that he had Hinata's attention. Feelings of attraction to teammates were normal, her father had said, when Sakura had broached the subject over dinner. The girl hadn't said who exactly she felt this attraction to, and didn't feel it necessary yet, either.

Her mother had agreed, asserting that it didn't matter which of her teammates that her daughter had fallen for as long as she was doing so for the right reasons and not letting it interfere with her effectiveness as a ninja. The disapproving tone spoke volumes. Her parents still didn't like the idea of their daughter running off to fight and risk her life, and she didn't blame them. One look at her father gave Sakura all the information she needed as to why the idea didn't sit well with her family, but they respected her choice and vowed to support her. But she was still going to work in the clinic as much as possible.

(is it time for lunch yet?)

The cause of all the troubles was sitting in his favorite seat at his favorite ramen stand, watching Ayame wiggle her hips along to the tune she was humming, while Teuchi diced vegetables and pulled noodles at the counter. Naruto's appetite was as healthy as ever, the black and orange jacket hung over the back of his chair due to the warm weather and his eyes alight with anticipation as he inhaled the scent of simmering broth. Teuchi laughed at the look on his favorite customer's face, promising that it would only be a few more minutes.

Then a shadow fell over his good mood again. He didn't need to look to know who it was; his spirits were simply too high at the moment to let the brooding ninja at his right to spoil anything, though. The armored mesh shirt whispered only slightly as he turned to regard the Uchiha taking a seat next to him.

"So I hear you came up against an S-Class ninja and lived. You got lucky Kakashi was there to pull your asses out of the fire."

"Hey, Kakashi didn't do all the work. Just because he's a jounin doesn't mean he's invincible. We're a team first and foremost; rank is just a formality. Kiba tells me you invented a new move. What'd he call it? Fire Drill or something like that?"

"Something like that. It's not easy for me to say this so I'll make it brief: I was wrong on a few things, Naruto. Like being able to get stronger on my own. The border patrol mission I was on showed me that."

"Yeah, if I didn't have Sakura and Hinata helping me, I probably wouldn't be half as good as I am right now. Not that I can't still improve, though, because we're only as strong as we're willing to work for, right?"

"How do you manage to put up with those two? Sakura's annoying as hell and that Hyuuga girl, I'm surprised if she can stop staring at her feet long enough to throw a punch." Naruto ignored the 'Sakura is annoying' part, since even if she could and did get on his nerves sometimes, he still liked her and there was plenty to make up for those moments when they didn't quite see eye to eye.

The same could be said, it is true, for Sasuke and his own teammates. He trusted them now to pull their own weight and not mess up his plans, but he couldn't say that he actually _liked_ them. Not the way Naruto could. It irked him to no end how the blond was completely oblivious to anything and everything, coasting along without so much as a care for what people said about him. Surely he had to know the things people whispered, surely he must _care!_

Naruto for his part cared only for the bowl of ramen sitting in front of him (with an extra helping of pork on the side, on Kakashi's insistence that he eat more real food). Ramen, and the way Ayame's rear end shifted casually and sensually beneath her dress with each step, looking entirely as if it was doing it without her say-so. It would never occur to him to start wondering why he was noticing such things, though he didn't spend any great effort thinking about Teuchi's daughter beyond anything but a beloved friend, either.

Sasuke was following Naruto's eyes as they wandered from his food to the vendor's assistant, then back to Naruto. After some deliberation he ordered a bowl of miso for himself, although he wasn't particularly hungry. He would not be ignored. "I asked you a question."

"It's something you get used to, I guess. You live with someone long enough and what used to be unusual turns into normalcy, and if you work with someone long enough they drop their guard and show you their real self. Or did you think that she was going to be hanging off your coattails forever, wonder-boy?"

"I actually prefer it if she doesn't notice me. It's better that way, I think. One less selfish person projecting their own desires onto me and following baseless rumors." Slurping up his ramen and mulling it over, Naruto puzzled over it. He'd fought for years to get Sakura to notice him and all she'd ever done was kick dirt onto him or punch him every time he'd tried. He didn't expect to ever understand women unless he turned into one, and that wasn't going to happen, but he'd still like it explained how a girl could change their minds so easily.

Not that guys were any different, but they weren't so malicious about it. They knew from the first punch whether they were going to forgive someone and try to be friends or at least neutral, or if they were going to hate someone forever. Given that, he couldn't say that he hated Sasuke. Sure, the other boy pissed him off sometimes, though there were things about Sasuke's life that he didn't know and therefore couldn't justify staying angry at him no matter what he did.

"This is pretty good. I should bring Kiba and Shino here. Akamaru, too."

"Kiba's dog?"

"You try separating them. The Inuzukas are…very dedicated to their animal partners."

"You know, you can be a pretty decent guy when you don't have your head up your ass, Sasuke."

"And you can be a pretty smart kid when you don't have your foot in your mouth, Naruto." They laughed and went back to eating, all tension gone. When Naruto left the ramen stand after a third bowl, he remained ignorant of three more strands emanating outwards.

(more dots)

"Are you sure about this, Kakashi?" Sarutobi took a long draw off of his pipe, reading over the report that Kakashi had submitted while listening to the ninja deliver the promised details of the mission. "It is a serious problem if what you're saying is true. The possibility of chakra contamination was never explored before; it was simply deemed impossible."

"I can only tell you what I saw, or rather what my dogs witnessed. The moment that Naruto fell a ball of orange energy shot out of his body and into Hinata, and after that she simply went berserk. If just a small fraction of the Nine-Tails energy was able to enhance her power that much then imagine what would happen if it had been Naruto who frenzied." Here in the Hokage's office behind a quadruple layer of wards and privacy seals and in the sole company of Sarutobi, he felt free to openly discuss Naruto's prisoner. "If it's true that the Fourth designed the seal so that Naruto could utilize his passenger's chakra," and add insult to the Nine-tails by having his energy be used to further the career of someone he tried to kill, "then we must prepare for the possibility that he can transfer that energy to others, consciously or not."

"I am not willing to go that far just yet, Kakashi. We are to treat this as an isolated incident, nothing more, nothing less. The expert you requested will be in Konoha soon enough; Jiraiya is difficult to contact as it is but does make regular visits to the city to deliver updates on his mission. I can say no more than that. Even telling you that one of the Legendary Sannin still maintains ties to the Leaf could compromise the whole effort if you were to be captured."

"I understand that, sir. There's also the matter of the sightings of Tsunade. I didn't witness any of them myself, unfortunately, but I did hear that a woman who matches her description has been wandering around the southern provinces, mostly gambling houses and casinos."

"Speaking of gambling what is this nonsense that I'm hearing that Naruto has been playing games of chance in his spare time? I would think that as his teacher you would keep a closer eye on his activities and discourage such behavior."

"Begging your pardon, sir, but he does have a talent for it and as we don't often carry large sums during missions such a skill could prove an unforeseen asset should we ever need to replace our supplies or engage in bribery." Like hell. Naruto was doing it purely to line his own pockets. Once a trickster, always a trickster. As long as he shared, though, Kakashi wouldn't try to stop him.

"Very well. We'll list the Sannin sightings as rumormongering, then, and leave it at that. And Kakashi, I do trust you'll keep me informed of any developments regarding this…issue so we may forestall any _problems_ that may be in the making?"

"I'll do my best."

(stop dots)

_Dearest Hinata,_

_I hope this letter finds you well. I do not resent you for the actions you took against me the last time we met, and in fact thank you for helping me see the truth. My only regrets are that my relationship with Z did not come to fruition until the end, and the fact that I could not accompany you to your home. You'll be happy to know that I am settling into my new life here; Tsunami is an ever-gracious host and my new career as an acupuncture therapist is progressing nicely. Soon I will have enough to afford that surgery and restore full use of my arm. Please convey my appreciation to your friend; without her efforts I am certain the outcome would have been much different._

_My hope is that you will act on your love soon and express it fully; the people you care about deserve to be made aware of it so they may make a choice regarding their own feelings about you. It may seem selfish but such is the nature of love. Affection and endearment go hand in hand with jealousy and possessiveness; may you know the peace of balance and not drive your love away accordingly._

_Do not despair for me, dearest Hinata. The pain will fade and I will cherish the memories with joy, as he told me to at the last. In due time I may even find love again, so do not fret or worry for me. Know only that I am in good spirits, and look forward to the time when we may meet again._

_As ever, yours truly,_

"_Kagami"_

(another break goes here)

His plan was working out nicely. It hurt to be constantly pushing out energy like this, though nothing compared to the mind-shattering agony of having a full half of his self sundered and hidden away, and then secluded for all time in the underworld where not even the Impure World Resurrection could retrieve it. That he could project his energy out at all was nothing next to astounding; he knew the Fourth's seal was designed to let his warden draw on the power he contained and use it for his own ends. Did the Yellow Flash really think it would weaken his resolve? If the brat did manage to obtain his goal, so much the better: the more people he connected to, the faster he could escape this blasted prison.

If he were anyone else he might have called it a stroke of genius, linking himself along the boy's natural ability to bond with people, and then copying himself, bit by bit, along these threads to those he shared ties with. There was some risk, of course. These copies were inherently weaker and spreading himself thin like this meant he could be subsumed with much less effort, and if they ever caught wind then they would seal away his clones, and probably kill the warden and himself in the process.

Then there was the issue of his fragments not wishing to obey him, but that could be handled easily enough. They were made of him, _were_ him for all intents and purposes and he did not intend to release so much of himself that he could not make these weaker versions obey. No, he would be free, even if he had to split himself between a thousand, or even ten thousand people. This jail would not hold him. No prison ever had.

(put teleport here)

Team Seven spent the time remaining before the preliminary exams training harder than they'd ever trained before. Expanding on their idea of carrying logs to improve their stamina, Kakashi started them on weight training as well. Not only that but they were also under instruction to practice their taijutsu styles. Naruto excelled there, much to his surprise. Even though his _form_ was sloppy, the genin's _technique_ was impressively adaptable, taking elements of the Haruno and Hatake family forms and mixing them with what he learned from watching (and being on the receiving end of) the Hyuuga gentle fist style.

Granted, without the ability to see the chakra network in the human body he couldn't project his energy into the tenketsu points and disrupt anyone's control, but the fluidity that Jyuuken lent to his movements, when applied to more aggressive styles, was almost akin to the unpredictability of the Drunken Fist that only a rare few could perform. The fledgling Uzumaki Style would still take years to fully develop and refine, but Kakashi could see there was already a strong foundation of a new method of technique uniquely suited to people who didn't like to stick to any one pattern of attack.

He also started his team on elemental techniques, as promised. Watching them fall into their studies with a vigor that rivaled Gai's was unnerving in some ways, amusing in others, but overall admirable. Before long every rookie team in Konoha was adopting similar strategies, tailored to the needs of their own teams and the instructing styles of their teachers, reinforcing everyone's belief in the village's beloved Will of Fire.

Of course, every team needed to rest every so often, too, and Kakashi allowed them a two on, one off schedule of training. For every two days of hard work they'd spend one day resting, discussing theory and tactics, practicing craftwork and control, and generally giving each other ideas. After all, a strong mind was essential to a strong body, and if a ninja had both, then they were truly formidable.

One such rest day saw Hinata arriving with a bundle of clothes, each individual outfit wrapped in plain brown paper. Of course she knew her teammates' and even Kakashi's measurements; what nobody expected was that she had any skill as a tailor, or that she would come up with this idea on her own. Already wearing hers, to each teammate she offered a package, watching happily as they opened the gifts.

To her teammates, she offered clothes modeled after Naruto's own outfit, but with modifications. The mesh shirt was integrated into the black-and-orange jacket and reinforced with steel ribbing that would protect the ribs and kidneys; underneath that an ANBU-styled high neck shirt with a zipper down the front, the pull tab modeled after the whirlpool design worn by every Konoha ninja. The pants were similarly reinforced, and sported additional strips of steel bolted to the outer thighs in an articulated pattern to allow free movement. On the left shoulder of both jackets was a fox emblem with the kanji for "seven" making up one side of the face.

Grinning with pride, Hinata watched as her teammates changed into the new garments, and then she pulled out a box from her traveling pouch. It opened up to reveal a piercing kit, and she looked to each member of the team one by one. "I, uh, I thought we could each…I used clan money to buy earrings with each of our birth stones." She held one up, showing off the setting: three stones, with the fourth being inlaid into the silver. "One stone each for myself, Sakura and Naruto, with Kakashi's being the foundation. B-but if you don't want to…"

Sakura squealed with glee and threw her arms around Hinata, rubbing her cheek against the other girl's own. "Oh, this is fantastic stuff, Hinata! A true showing of what it means to be a team! Of course I'll wear mine! How about you, Kakashi-sensei? Naruto?" Not to be outdone the two men gave firm nods, a proud grin on Naruto's face. If he smiled any wider it would split his face in half.

"You three are seriously…the best friends a guy could ask for…" Kakashi hadn't been aware that someone's eyes could get that large or watery without either bursting out of the skull or being some kind of genjutsu. "I just wish I had something I could give you, too…"

"Naruto, you've already done so much for us and everyone else in Konoha. You don't need to give us anything." Sakura paused in her hugging of Hinata, much to the pale girl's relief, and grasped Naruto's hands in her own. This set the blond to blushing, something that he didn't do very often. Given how close Sakura was getting to him, who could blame him? "These past few months have been…enlightening to me, Naruto. Don't ever change; we love you just the way you are."

Naruto's heart pounded in his chest as he looked between them, Sakura and Hinata smiling openly, and even Kakashi offering a nod of acknowledgement. The Copy Ninja then remembered something, and pulled out a summoning scroll. When he opened it up, a trio of blades in ebony sheathes appeared, the handles wrapped in red leather to match the belts.

"This is my last gift to you as a teacher. They are made by the best weaponsmith in Konoha; there's just enough time left before the preliminaries that you can be taught basic technique as well as the proper care and upkeep. You three are like family to me, and I don't offer that lightly. Especially you, Naruto; you're the closest thing to a brother I have ever known. You, my students, have progressed so far in such a short time that I fear I may have nothing left to teach you."

With trembling hands Team Seven took their blades and strapped them to their waists to hang comfortably but securely, each one of sufficient length to lend an air of restrained menace. That was what Kakashi and to some degree Sakura had been stressing endlessly since they first became a team. Control was paramount to a ninja, and the ninja who had no control could subsequently _be_ controlled.

"The exams will be held soon, and I know that each of you will make me proud to have been your teacher. Know that whether or not you make chuunin you are and will always be Team Seven, etched into the memories of every man, woman and child of Konoha."

(be here a break)

Naruto found himself unable to contain his excitement, and with his manic energy he'd even managed to not only clean his apartment but effect some minor repairs to the whole building. Still filled with nervous energy he'd begun wandering the streets of Konoha, the gleaming steal of his headband shining in the morning sunlight, and people offering him respectful nods or familiar smiles as he walked past. Perhaps he didn't have their admiration yet, but these were now people who trusted him, their misgivings burned away by the persistence of his attitude.

So enveloped in his thoughts that he didn't watch where he was going and crashed directly into an older person in black robes and wearing odd face paint, wearing the emblem of a Sand ninja. Putting two and two together Naruto quickly rebounded from the accident and offered an apologetic bow to the visitors. The redhead with the "love" symbol tattooed over his left eye fixed him with a predatory stare, making Naruto wonder for a brief moment if he was, perhaps, crazy.

"Ah, pardon me, sorry about that. Please don't be offended, I wasn't watching where I was going."

"Maybe if you had eyes on the side of your head, squirt," said the one in black. Beside him, an attractive kunoichi bearing a large fan rolled her eyes and looked like she was about to start hitting him, but a quiet stare from the gourd-carrying ninja stopped her.

"Ah come on, no need to be rude, is there? I did apologize. So I take it you three are here for the exams?"

"Of course. Why else would we come to such a stupid place as this?"

"Hey, you'd better not be insulting Konoha or else I'll—"

"Naruto, are you bothering people again?" Shikamaru's voice brought him out of the rising anger he'd felt and he turned to see the Nara prodigy slouching his way forward out of a crowd wandering down the main road towards the services district.

"Not at all, Shikamaru; I was just explaining to our three visitors here that as guests they should display the proper respect to the village and we'll do our best to be gracious hosts. Isn't that right?" He turned again to the three Sand ninja, staring them down with an unspoken challenge. The tallest of the three glowered in response, but it was the youngest one that spoke up in an eerily quiet voice.

"That is correct. Do not do anything to get us thrown out, Kankuro, or I'll kill you. You. Your name is Naruto?"

"Naruto Uzumaki. Pleased to make your acquaintance." The way he said it suggested anything but joy on his part.

"Gaara. Let us move along. We do not want to keep Baki waiting." Together the three of them moved past Naruto and Shikamaru, blending into a crowd that apparently didn't enjoy their presence and gave the travelers a wide berth. Shikamaru watched them go, suppressing the shiver that wanted to run up his spine.

"The one with the gourd gives me the creeps. Lot of strong ninja entering the village this year. Speaking of which, word on the street is there's going to be a flood of rookies. I hope your team isn't planning on bowing out and making us look bad."

"Heh, not a chance! We've been ready for this since day one!"

"Is that right? How troublesome. I might actually have to use a few tricks I was saving for a rainy day. Anybody you want to put money on? Asuma-sensei's running a betting pool among the jounin instructors and I figured you might want in on it."

"What are you implying, Shikamaru, that I'm a cheat? Nah, I'll save my money for craps and blackjack. Don't want to stack the deck after all. Or to bet against you. Why? Do you have money on anyone in particular?"

"Not saying. If I did and they happened to make the final round of exams, though, I'd be getting a massive payout." Naruto frowned at Shikamaru's absolutely placid expression. There was a reason he never played against him; Shikamaru's eyes were just as fast as his own and he had practically zero tells whatsoever, save for one, and that was Naruto's only defense against the other ninja. "Just remember the old rule, Naruto. The house always wins."

The message was clear. _Don't screw it up by giving a poor showing._ He stayed put, letting the crowd flow around him as Shikamaru made his way off, still using that same slouching walk that hid his true power quite effectively. To the outside observer the Nara was an irredeemable layabout, with no skill and no strength. Anyone who underestimated him, however, would soon find themselves caught by a master strategist. He had a point. The house did always win.

(breaktime breaktime breaktime)

As the sun set languidly, bathing Konoha in its amber rays, Naruto sat atop the Hokage's monument, thinking back on his life so far. It hadn't been that long ago that he'd been the dead-last prankster of Konoha Academy, giving his teachers headaches and giving ANBU the slip. Sometimes he had to wonder what his life would be like if he'd continued to fail, continued to make mistakes, or if he hadn't had people to show him what it meant to have friends and be loved.

Probably an insane killer, in all likelihood. For all their faults, though, the people of Konoha were still worth his efforts so he hadn't given up on them, and in the end been rewarded. He'd made the rank of genin, and then become an integral part of a fantastic team. The people who once looked down on him with scorn and disdain now acknowledged him, if not as an equal then as someone who they could rely on. It felt good to be the center of attention without having to resort to something drastic, and in the process he felt free to let them move on to other things in life. He had a purpose and a goal still, and yet here he was thinking it wouldn't be so bad if he were stuck in a lower position.

As long as he could continue loving this village hidden in the leaves, anything would be fine with him.

Hands slid over his eyes and a pair of breasts pressed against his back, while a smoothly husky voice whispered tantalizingly in his ear. "Guess who, kid." At hearing the words he smiled, overjoyed once more.

"Princess! You came! I was actually starting to worry!" He turned as Tsunade lifted her palms away from his vision, smiling up at the older woman happily. She was alone, it seemed, standing there with the dusk behind her and the wind whipping at her hair like the character in some novel. Crossing her arms under her bust, overcoat draped on her shoulders, Tsunade leaned forward slightly to let him get a titillating view of her generous cleavage.

"I owed you a favor, right? I almost didn't make it in, actually. Security's pretty tight around here with all the foreign shinobi participating. But I know my way around Konoha well enough. Glad to see it hasn't changed much since I've been gone."

"You used to live here, huh? Guess being home brings back a lot of memories." He noted a slightly sad look in her eyes, and filed it away for later, once all the excitement had died down, and he could talk to her more privately.

"Oh, years back, kid. Used to be a ninja, too, but I resigned my commission before I left so they wouldn't send hunters after me. Don't go giving me that look, Naruto, I'm not a traitor. There's just some things…that I couldn't handle anymore."

"So you ran away. I figured you had to be a ninja or at least used to dealing with them. You saw through my veneer without much trouble."

"About that. Next time you might want to pick a disguise that you didn't lift from the cover of a hentai book." She wasn't going to tell him he was too young for such things; the life of a ninja was short for most of them and those that did live long enough for it tended to marry before their twenties. And that mainly because of some crippling injury or incurable combat fatigue.

"Wasn't mine but I liked the face. Personally I'd rather have a real woman over some drawings on a page. The old man likes them, though. So does Kakashi-sensei." Tsunade smiled at his response. There was hope for him after all.

"Fair enough. And this outfit, too. You look more like a professional every time I see you, Naruto."

"Aw, don't be so mean, princess! Yeah, Hinata made these clothes. She's really good at a lot of stuff. That girl went above and beyond, made one for herself and Sakura, too. Even went ahead and made one for Kakashi-sensei. It looks a lot better than that vest they give out to chuunin."

"Looks better armored, too. I bet it could even stop a sword thrust. I wouldn't go trying to test that if I were you, though. Then I'd have to patch you up, and I can't really stand the sight of blood."

"Why not?"

"Story for another time, kid. For now let's just enjoy the sunset. From here on out it only gets harder so drink it in while you can." Naruto nodded and turned back to the sunset, not objecting when Tsunade sat herself down next to him and rested her weight on his shoulder. The evening breeze as day faded into night was cool and refreshing; the last rays of the sun striking the mist that rose off the trees made everything seem as if it were on fire. Under such perfect conditions it was easy to see how the nation got its name.

He'd learned so much in the past few months, met quite a few interesting people. They couldn't all hang off of his shoulder like Tsunade was currently doing, which was fine. There were other ways of being there, of showing his support. Fear…there were only two things that Naruto feared. Being alone, and of failing his comrades. The latter was simply unacceptable. Strange to think that if he just let his thoughts drift, he could tell what his teammates were doing right now. Hinata was praying with her family for success in tomorrow's proceedings. Sakura was packing a bag full of medical supplies. Tsunade was sticking her hand down his pants.

_What._ Naruto looked down at the platinum-haired woman he called Princess. Indeed, she was fishing around underneath the waistband of his trousers, inching ever closer to the prize she was looking for. Until he cleared his throat nervously. "Hey, I like you, princess, but don't you think we should wait until after…you know, when my life's not in danger anymore and all that?"

"Silly Naruto. Your life's always in danger. Just shush now and let me handle things for awhile." There was a warning tone in her voice hinting that she was _not to be interrupted at any time until she was finished._ Gulping again, Naruto tilted his upper body back, resting all his weight on his hands. Admittedly what she was doing felt good, and the tension in his legs was just melting away entirely.

"Ahem…that's highly inappropriate, Naruto." Hastily he covered the offending image with his hands, gulping again. "You should know better than that. We don't have privacy out here, after all." Trepidation evaporated and he grinned.

Yeah. Things were looking up for good.


	8. Exams, part 1

Tsunade stretched out languidly, dressed in one of Naruto's spare shirts. She had spent the night talking with him, listening to his anxieties about the tests that were to occur on this day. Contrary to the teasing that she'd offered atop the Hokage Monument nothing of any import had taken place within the privacy of his home and bedroom. Granted, she had given him a soothing massage, but only to work out the tension in his body that left him wound tighter than a clock spring. Being so intensely on edge like that would only be detrimental in the long run. After all, she'd know. She was a doctor.

Lowering her arms after stifling a yawn she took a quick survey of her surroundings. Although she'd been able to hide it earlier, Tsunade now had to allow the dismay to show through, wondering how in the world Konoha's citizens could let him exist in such dismal conditions as she'd witnessed on the way to the building he lived in. The was practically inside the red light district and several vagrants had been loitering in the foyer when they'd arrived, one of whom was attempting to proposition a young lady in a pink shirt and overalls. Naruto had sent him on his way with a sharp growl and a bit of cash for the woman who it turned out was one of only three tenants to share the building with him, the other two being an old drunk and the landlord.

Miyuki, he'd explained over juice and rolls, had been disowned by her family and abandoned by her boyfriend when the louse had gotten her pregnant; he gave her money when he could, so she could get proper health care and not have to sell herself to make ends meet. Watching his eyes as he'd related that, Tsunade had seen a weariness to him that a boy his age simply shouldn't have. For all his boasting about wanting to be Hokage so people would acknowledge him, she was beginning to see deeper reasons, more personal dimensions to his ambitions. Proof positive that he was human after all, and not the demon much of the citizenry took him for.

A knock at the door brought Tsunade from her reverie, and though it wasn't her home she went to answer it, remembering to disarm the trap on the door first. Most thieves would come in through the window, and leave through the door with their loot. Naruto was smart in that way, despite not having much worth taking. The television set would probably not even fetch a hundred ryou at a pawn shop and that looked like the most expensive thing in the place. Still, anything to feed a drug habit.

Miyuki looked a little disappointed when she saw it was Tsunade standing there instead of the immutably cheerful blond. She was about to turn and leave when a smile from the former medic-nin brought the pink-eyed girl back around, a finger twirling in her purple-streaked hair.

"Is Naruto in? I wanted to thank him for last night…he…is a very sweet boy."

"Sorry, Miyuki, he's already gone. The first stage of the Chuunin Exams starts today and he didn't want to show up late. Why don't you come in and see what that squirt has in his fridge? I'll fix you some breakfast." Shizune would pitch a fit if she ever found out that the great and talented Tsunade was associating with prostitutes. But Shizune was currently under orders to keep a low profile—the trio of a busty blonde, black-haired kunoichi and potbellied pig in a pearl necklace was far too easy to spot and would get her dragged off to the Hokage's tower when she just wanted to learn everything she could about the boy who held a demon hostage.

Bare feet padded silently on the linoleum as Miyuki stepped inside, ducking her head meekly in silent thanks. "He really is a sweet boy. He's stuck up for me so many times that I don't know how I would've managed if he hadn't been here." _He almost wasn't. You're luckier than you realize._

"Oh, don't worry about it too much, Miyuki. I'm sure he doesn't. Does he ever…you know, _hire_ you?" Panicked, wanting to avoid the implications and possible arrest Miyuki shook her head vigorously. She wasn't sure what the law was for ninja, but for civilians getting involved with a boy his age carried some very hefty punishments.

"Naruto would never…! I mean…yes, he says I'm attractive and he can be a little uncouth sometimes but he's never been anything but a gentleman to me…" A blush was spreading over the young lady's cheeks, deepening when Tsunade set down a plate of sausage and toast before her along with a glass of juice. Naruto had drunk all the milk before he'd left and stuck a note in the fridge, reminding himself to get more.

"It's alright, Miyuki, the laws on this matter are very clear. I would say he's a little young, but if he initiates things then you're free of blame and you know Naruto well enough to tell whether or not he'd pull something and leave you twisting in the wind." Taking a piece of paper from a stack that rested atop the fridge, Tsunade jotted down a quick note and signed it, before stamping it with a rarely-seen clan seal. "Show this to any hospital in town and they'll give you everything you need to keep yourself and that baby healthy. In exchange I want you to tell me everything you know about Naruto Uzumaki."

* * *

Hinata listened to the examiner explaining the rules with only partial interest. It was fairly simple. Forty-five minutes to answer nine questions, with the tenth to be given at the end of that forty-five minute period. Anyone caught cheating a certain number of times would be ejected from the test and their teammates would similarly fail. Come back next year you incompetent sacks of shit. That hadn't actually been said, but implied. The questions weren't supposed to be easy though, and they weren't.

A few teams had been given the explanation that they could not take the exams individually, that they needed to be in it together or not at all. Team Seven had not needed any such explanation. Nobody had doubted that they would be in it from start to finish. There had been a minor scuffle in the lobby of the academic hall when Team Seven had arrived; an older genin by the name of Rock Lee had challenged Sasuke to a fight and shown off some pretty impressive taijutsu in an exchange which lasted all of thirty seconds because Lee's teacher, Gai, had intervened; then beyond that they had to deal with a genjutsu designed to fool students into thinking they were on the third floor when in fact they were on the second.

Given the heat of the day, the windows were opened wide, allowing a breeze to billow through the curtains from time to time. Hinata might not be able to answer all the questions, but her eyes could let her find someone who did know the proper results. Sakura was seated two rows behind and three columns to the left, as Ibiki had made sure to separate the teams in order for it to be a proper test; her worry was not for Haruno, however, but Naruto, as technical smarts weren't really his forte.

Bending her head towards the desk she sat behind, she triggered her Byakugan, and quickly located someone who not only had all the answers, but looked to be searching for signs of anyone trying to copy off of him. Despite that, Hinata's pencil moved, copying the responses down as best she could. The proctor standing by the door raised his voice and the person he'd named rose in irritation and shame, followed by his two teammates. _Serves you right, you stupid assholes._ Quite obviously this was supposed to be a test of their ability to gather information, not of their actual knowledge.

Naruto, she saw, had yet to jot down a single answer, and that was in and of itself disturbing. But he couldn't really be blamed. The focus of his training had never actually been on the stealthier side of things. Clearly, Naruto was made to be chased, and he was devilishly good at running away. One would have to be a master of the body flicker or possess the Fourth Hokage's Hiraishin to keep up, or just be phenomenally fast.

The only time Naruto really moved was when Kankuro stood up to ask to use the toilet facilities; hearing him say that reminded him of how the milk he'd had earlier was slightly spoiled. _And I was going to give it to Miyuki, too. What was I thinking?_ With a sigh he stood up. Might as well take care of it now.

"What is it, #27?"

"Toilet."

"You have five minutes." More than enough time. Catching Hinata and Sakura's attention as he hit the hallway, Naruto flashed a hand sign at them. Wind tag, window, grab. Subtle nods returned to him right as he rounded the corner and headed down the hall in pursuit of Kankuro. He'd only learned the ninja's name recently thanks to that weird Kabuto guy, but was now armed with information that he didn't have before. Everything you didn't know is something that could kill you. Knowledge was a weapon as sure as the knives you carried. Even he realized that.

Picking a stall inside the bathroom he didn't pay Kankuro any mind; what he did was his own business until they reached a point where knowing what the other ninja were up to was part of surviving. Taking a seat, Naruto made some rather distressed grunts and grumbles, flushing the toilet at least twice. This was all a cover for his real activity; forming the hand sign he carefully crafted a shadow clone in the shape of a cat, filling it with enough chakra to transform into something with hands once it reached the target area.

Naruto had a pretty good idea of the external layout of the building and once the clone was complete, he stuck a rolled-up wind tag into its mouth. Hopefully it'd be able to get out on its own and then make tracks for a suitable position to place the tag, trigger it and bug out. The wind tags were like the exploding tags, but with one variation. Instead of exploding, they created a powerful surge of air, comparable to a sixty mile an hour gale. His plan was simple, the gale, once triggered, would blow through the windows and scatter papers everywhere. Then in the ensuing chaos Hinata or Sakura would try to snatch up one of the finished tests, and swap it with his own. It only had a small chance of success, but it was worth a try.

Returning to the test room he found things exactly as he'd hoped. The chuunin were running everywhere, trying to snatch up papers before anyone else got the same idea; Ibiki gave him a funny look as Naruto returned to his seat, apparently cursing his good luck, and as he sat Hinata gave him a quick indication of success. Hiding a grin, Naruto rubbed out the person's name and filled in his own, silently praying that nobody had seen him do that. Stealth wasn't his game; after a few tense minutes without being called, though, Naruto relaxed. Not long after that, Ibiki announced it time to deliver the tenth question.

"Alright, everyone, pencils down. You've had plenty of time; now I'm going to give you the last part of this exam. Before I do that, however, let me add a couple of conditions. You can either leave now and try again next year, or choose to take the question. If you fail this question, then you can never be a ninja again. Those are the conditions. Who wants to leave?" Several hands shot up immediately; their owners and the two other team members were summarily ejected. A few more went up and then departed, but no more hands after that.

Hinata felt like maybe she should opt out and save Naruto some humiliation. If the examiner was withholding the question instead of including it on the test sheet, it must be devastatingly difficult. One part of being on a team meant not letting your allies fail. Her hand started to creep up. Naruto beat her to the punch, though, raising his hand and then jabbing a finger at Ibiki.

"Like hell I'm going to quit! What right do you have to say who can and can't be ninja? So our lives hang on a question, is it? Bring it on! I'm not going to let anyone stand in the way of my goal! My team and I are going forward no matter what!"

"Calm down, #27, before I throw you out the window." Ibiki looked around at the suddenly changed attitudes of all those who remained in the auditorium. The ones he'd seen about ready to give up were now instead determined to follow the rookie's example and see it through to the end.

Threads connected and a demon's plan grew closer to fruition.

"Alright then. For the last question of this exam, everyone in this room…_passes._" Murmurs ran through the assembled genin, and more than a few looked confused. Not Naruto, though. "Since you're wondering, let me explain. The life of a ninja often hangs on a single moment, a crucial choice. I can't in good conscience pass anyone who thinks that if they fail they can just try again next time. When you are up against an enemy and fail there is no 'next time', there are no second chances. You either succeed, or you die. You can succeed and still die, and must be prepared for that fact.

"As such I needed to know one thing and one thing only: whether you had the courage to try despite severe personal risk, or if you were cowards who believe you can just quit and try again some other time if things get too rough. And all of you have proven your capacity to risk yourselves for those you serve. Congratulations. The second section of the preliminaries starts now."

Right on cue a light fixture positioned over the blackboard that Ibiki had written his name on shimmered and dissolved into a human figure, that of a purple-haired woman with a puffball-sized ponytail and brown jacket. A challenge rested in her opaque brown eyes, and before anyone could catch a glimpse of her body through the mesh shirt she let go of the ceiling and executed a perfect somersault, landing on the desk behind Ibiki. Gravity asserted itself over her clothes to hide her bosom neatly, while she grinned at the remaining genin.

"I am Anko Mitarashi, executor for the second portion of the chuunin exams and as of now you are all my bitches!" Ibiki looked like he wanted to throttle her, but just sighed and put his palm against his forehead and began to laugh. "Enough staring already! Follow me!"

Anko leaped out the open window without so much as an explanation, setting the tone for the rest of the exams. Descending towards the ground she tossed a look over her shoulder and was somewhat surprised to see that better than half of those that had passed Ibiki's test had opted to do exactly that, streaming from the building like wasps from a hive. A feral grin split her features. This was going to be _fun._

In the aftermath of Anko's departure, Ibiki sighed and looked at the sheaf of papers that had been turned in as the candidates left to follow the exuberant woman. One caught his attention almost immediately.

"What the hell? There's two different styles of handwriting on this paper." He thought back to that remarkably strong gust of wind just as one of his proctors showed up holding a green tag with a Wind seal on it.

"Found this on one of the buildings outside. Read it another way and it says "blow me". Think it was one of the candidates?" Ibiki nodded and looked down at the papers again.

"I've got a pretty good idea which one."

* * *

"When she called it the Forest of Death I didn't expect her to mean it literally!" The cry of protest came from Sakura, running and leaping from tree to tree fast enough for her braid to whip parallel to the ground despite the heavy bronze ball that closed off the loose end. Naruto spared a look behind him and swallowed his guts. They were still being chased.

"How was I supposed to know there were giant tree monsters in here?" Hinata this time, commenting on how the monster elm barreling through the woods, hot on their tail, had seemed like an ordinary tree when she'd gone to trim some branches off of it for firewood. The tree had taken offense to that and uprooted itself with a tremendous roar, and was now charging after Naruto and his team with the obvious intent of eating them. "Why are there giant tree monsters?"

"Someone got frisky with a Venus Flytrap probably. Okay, uh, if we set this thing on fire it'll just get even angrier. Alright! Let's trim the roots! Naruto, you got anything strong enough for that?"

"Sorry, Sakura, too busy running to try a Wind Blade right now! Don't want to risk chopping you guys up, too!"

"Naruto! Hinata! Wall five hundred yards ahead!" Training Ground 44 was a circle roughly twelve and a half miles in diameter; as Team Seven among others were finding out, it was also divided into several distinct zones and sported more than a few ruined outposts that had apparently been built for research purposes, then abandoned when the experiment got out of control. If they hit the wall then they'd have no choice but to turn and fight, and neither of them had any inkling of how to combat a two hundred foot tall tree that could cross dozens of yards with a single stride.

Right when it seemed that there was no other option a grey blur shot up from the forest floor, wreathed in flames; the indistinct mass hammered into the creature with enough force to knock it sideways, a deep charred gouge left in its front and partially blinding it. The wildly rotating shape slowed and resolved into a pair of Inuzuka, one of them vanishing in a puff of smoke to reveal Akamaru. "Hah! You like that, you overgrown weed?"

"Thanks for the opening, Kiba! Now get clear!" That was all the warning he was getting as Naruto formed the hand signs and charged his fingers with elemental chakra. "Wind Release: Air Thrust!" Pushing his hands out at the tottering monster elm, streamers of razor-sharp wind fired out from Naruto's fingers, growing larger the farther they got from him. Eight lashes of cutting wind slammed into the tree and reduced it to logs and splinters, the beast vanishing with a dying groan that reminded him of far too many things to name any one in particular.

"Next time," said Hinata sheepishly, "I'm going to check the tree for a chakra network." Kiba landed on a branch behind her, Akamaru on his head and barking noisily; up from the forest floor came Shino and Sasuke, Team Eight effectively boxing Team Seven in with no chance of escape and in a lethal crossfire if they tried to fight back.

"Show us your scroll," Sasuke demanded. Naruto growled and reached into his bag, pulling out a blue scroll bearing the Heaven seal on it. "Hm. It seems we have the same one then. Meaning this was all a waste of time. You're _welcome_, by the way."

"Any time, pal. Don't pretend I like being in your debt so the sooner we can pay it off, the better." Watching them go, Naruto slumped down to his feet and sighed in relief, peeling the fake seal off of the scroll and stuffing it back in his bag. "Bonehead didn't even notice it wasn't a real Heaven scroll." Sakura grinned, the real scroll safely secured in her pack's hidden compartment, with a few traps on it just in case someone managed to take it away from them.

"Getting the scroll from them won't be easy," commented Hinata, looking at the direction Kurenai's students had gone off in. "It might be better if we went on ahead to the tower to try and ambush someone else."

"Yeah, maybe, but we can't guarantee that someone else hasn't already thought of that, in which case we'd just be setting ourselves up for failure." Sakura looked back towards the high stone wall, towering over the trees but not completely perfect in its construction. The wall was broken in a few places, and wasn't an even surface, either. It would be a challenge to run up to the top of it. "What I'm worried about is that we just gave away one of our trump cards."

"Be that as it may, they also showed us one of theirs. Did you notice Kiba was on fire when he attacked the tree? That could only have been Sasuke's doing." Standing once more, Naruto followed Sakura's gaze towards the wall, contemplating it intently. "So we effectively traded information on our capabilities. Not enough to tip the balance, but they won't take us lightly from now on seeing as they know we have elemental techniques in our arsenal." He refused to let this dampen his spirits, pointing at the barrier.

Spawning a shadow clone he sent it up the wall, wincing as it vanished in a flash of electricity, that Hinata reported was not generated by chakra. There was one idea gone. With no other options but to keep moving they headed deeper into the forest, keeping the wall to their left. Eventually it veered away sharply, indicating that it was an enclosure of some sort or that the builders had just enjoyed screwing with people. Whatever the reason it meant they were in open ground again, and had to watch for attacks from the left once more.

"I wish Kakashi-sensei were here," Sakura groused. "Three-man teams should really be four-man teams so we don't leave any vulnerable spots in our defense. Problem is, the larger a team is, the easier it is to spot. The trade-off in defensive power may not be worth it."

"Much as I hate to say it but we can't rely on him forever. Sooner or later we'll move on and he'll get another team of genin to train." None could overlook the soft ache in Hinata's voice as she talked, pensively looking ahead to what future lay ahead of them. More immediate concerns presented themselves; night was drawing ever closer and they had yet to set up a camp. Happening upon a clearing was as fortunate a coincidence as any, and on a two-to-one vote, Team Seven decided to stop for the night.

Dinner passed in relative silence, a simple meal consisting of forest plants and a few oversized squirrels; ensconced in the hollow of an ancient sequoia the three ninja could only be assaulted from one direction, and a camouflage net over the entrance hid the light of their fire well enough that no others who passed through the area would come to investigate. Working up her courage, Hinata finally asked a question she'd been dreading to venture for quite some time now.

"Pardon my bluntness, Naruto…but why do you have a seal on you? Have you done…something wrong?" At mention of the seal its owner grew deathly still, his breathing slowing to the point that Hinata worried that he might have stopped entirely. His eyes narrowed dangerously, prompting the two girls to start backing away from him, though they stopped when the hard look shifted into one of resignation.

"I should've known I wouldn't be able to hide it forever. Alright, you're my team and my friends, so you get to hear the secret I've been carrying for thirteen years. On one condition: what I'm about to tell you can't be said to anyone else on pain of death. Not my rules, okay? Those are the Council's rules and like it or not they have to be abided by. The Hokage said I can tell anyone I want, I just haven't wanted to before.

"The day of my birth, October 10th, almost thirteen years ago now, an ancient demon called the Nine-Tailed Fox attacked the village. Many people died fighting it, including the Fourth Hokage…and my parents. Just before he died the Fourth sought someone to seal the Nine-Tails into, and for whatever reason he picked me. So for as long as I can remember I've carried a demon around with me wherever I go, my body serving as its prison.

"Lately I've noticed a…presence, at the back of my mind. A whisper, demanding to be let out. At the same time I've felt a different sort of chakra than my own, a second source of energy that I can draw on. The two powers mix and blend together, letting me pull off stuff I shouldn't be able to otherwise. Don't get into thinking this means I'm a demon, too. I'm not and I never will be. I'm just the guy that a dead man chose to keep the village safe, and I mean to do that no matter what." The speech over, Naruto fell quiet, looking at his two friends patiently. This was the moment of truth, then; they would either judge him a monster and request a transfer, or ignore his past and see the now.

Hesitantly, Sakura moved the long strands of hair framing her face aside, looking to Hinata, who did the same. Naruto's eyes narrowed again, though this was a conscious measure on his part to hide the shock and fear that began to clutch at his heart.

"Would…that explain how this has been happening, then?" Sakura tucked the hair behind her ears so the markings that had grown by another inch over the last month or so were on full display. "I've felt…different for some time now. It was so gradual I didn't notice it at first. I thought the strength we were gaining was just from all the work we were doing and I hope that's still true, and yet I wonder. Hinata told me once recently that she saw threads or something, attaching you to various people. She said they were almost too faint to see, and thought that even a more skilled Hyuuga like her father would have trouble noticing them."

"Could it be that the Fourth designed your seal so…so that maybe the Nine-Tails' spirit would disperse into people you have a connection with? Making it so if it ever somehow escaped it would be easier to contain?" Hinata radiated hope, pleading for it to be true, as any other explanation would simply be too terrible to comprehend, to live with. The demon clan of Konoha…was that the future? Slowly she related to Naruto everything that had happened during the battle on the bridge, starting from the point that Haku had knocked him unconscious with her needles. When she'd finished Naruto was faced with even more dread, though he squashed it and put on a strong display of resolve.

"That's gotta be it, then. The Fourth made the seal so I make everyone around me stronger. So I can protect the people I love, even if I'm not actually awake to fight alongside them. They say the Fourth was a genius and this just proves it. So don't worry, because no matter what, we aren't going to abandon each other." Smiles appeared to match the conviction in his voice, and Naruto clamped down on the fear, burning it away with the strength of his allies. No, the demon was not going to win if he could help it. That monster was _his_ tool, not the other way around, and it was going to _stay that way._

Whether the crafty old fox liked it or not.

* * *

Whoever she was, something about the way she moved suggested that the Grass ninja was no ordinary genin. Ordinarily, the word 'genin' did not translate to the concept of 'exceptional skill' and even considering his relative lack of finesse with the sword there was simply no way that another low-rank ninja should be able to catch a blade barehanded, no matter how many times they'd taken and failed the exams. Fidgeting mentally as he drew back to throw a wind technique at the ninja who had an unhealthy interest in Sasuke, Naruto finally decided that there were things about this woman that didn't add up.

For one thing she'd taken several high-level fire blasts from Sasuke and not even blinked, and on another angle didn't even seem to be singed from the flames in the slightest. Then include the fact that this ninja was operating alone and managing to fight off six enemy ninja and they all culminated in a recipe for this visitor to not be what she appeared.

It had been pure luck, actually. Hinata had suggested following the river instead of wandering aimlessly, deducing that sticking close to a water source would increase their chances of encountering enemy teams, and so it had. What they had not expected was to find their classmates engaged in a lethal duel with a single combatant, who continually pressed the attack against the last of the Uchiha amidst comments about 'testing his skill' and 'ensuring his body was in good condition'. Close combat didn't seem to be any bother to the Grass ninja, either, every strike parried or deflected with an alacrity that bordered on precognition.

And still she went for Sasuke! What was the fascination with him? Naturo knew he'd achieved his Sharingan recently, could that be it? Or was there something else? At this rate they were going to lose the fight and be at the mercy of this strange warrior, utterly helpless. Forming the hand seals quickly Naruto fell back to Sasuke's side, his teammates clearing the way and preparing their own elemental techniques. Telegraphing his intent to the Uchiha, Naruto let fly with a vortex from his palms, into which Sasuke channeled his most potent flame technique. The roaring pillar of flame shot out towards the Grass ninja at the same time that Hinata summoned jagged spikes from the ground and Sakura lashed out with watery blades pulled from the very air's moisture.

All three attacks met simultaneously in a fantastic conflagration of smoke and steam, with the target making no apparent move to evade. When the smoke finally cleared the six Konoha ninja couldn't believe their eyes in the slightest. Burned skin was flaking off from a body twisted beyond recognition, seemingly mauled by the fangs of rock and the watery axes that had sliced into her; as the rock fell away though the ninja regained her feet, showing pale grey skin beneath the proper color of human flesh as more and more of the disguise melted away and the body twisted back into shape.

"My, my, my, it seems that I have grossly underestimated all of you. Konoha's been keeping up its standards nicely, I see. Even such worthless trash as Haruno and Uzumaki are learning powerful abilities and moves. It appears I'll have to step up my game." The last of the woman melted away to reveal a snakelike man with burning yellow eyes, sharp fangs gleaming behind the insane grin on his face. White hair was traded for black and the clothes of a Grass ninja for the robes of a Sannin.

**Give me control, boy.**

_What? Who's there? Inside my head? …You._

**Give me control. This enemy is beyond you.**

_No way. I'll find a way to win without your help._

**If you fight Orochimaru now, you will die. That is unacceptable.**

_So his name is Orochimaru, eh? And how would you know?_

**Either you give me control, or I take it from one of those lovely females you're sharing my energy with. Your choice.**

_I'm not letting that happen. Fine. You have control—but the moment you try to turn on me or my friends, I'm shutting you down again._

Naruto was suddenly inside his mind, standing inside a small monitoring station. Through a window he spied a long and dark tunnel with ankle-deep water running through it, accessible via a door and a ladder. The images on the monitors showed a large grate with several locks on it, behind which were several floodgates. Each corresponded to a valve inside the room, allowing him to open and close the gates to whatever degree he wished. _I get it. So I can let a portion of him free to influence the outside world, and the more of the gates I open the more of him gets out, but I can shut him up again, too. The only real avenue of escape is if I undo the locks, and I don't have the key. The Fourth really was a genius._

Gripping the valve labeled "1", Naruto turned it through a single revolution, watching the water level in the tunnel rise to knee depth and grow considerably swifter. _I hope I'm doing the right thing._

"**I do hope you weren't intending to get away unscathed."** Everyone present shivered at the sudden shift in Naruto's voice, save for Orochimaru, who looked merely annoyed. The five Konoha genin took measured steps backward as fingernails elongated into claws, canines became fangs and eyes turned red as blood. The markings on his cheeks darkened and grew broader, as Naruto's pupils narrowed to vertical slits, though not quite as slender as Orochimaru's own. **"You want the boy, you go through me."**

Hinata shuddered every time Naruto's voice hit her ears. That aura he was projecting was so familiar, so…deliciously unbridled that she wanted to share in it, reclaim that moment on the bridge where she'd had no fear, no inhibitions, only the exhilaration of being **superior** to those trash.

Faced with a dilemma, Orochimaru opted for the aggressive option. His body flashed ahead, leaving an afterimage in the eyes of those not quick enough to follow his movements, assaulting Naruto with a full-on storm of punches and kicks. Using his shorter stature to his advantage, Naruto, under the demon's control, wove and spun and parried, never staying in one spot but always maneuvering around the taller and more experienced fighter. Strength amplified by the dark chakra coursing through his body and the instincts of the monster carried within, Naruto lashed out with his blade again and again, the weapon now leaving deep gouges in the armor-like scales coating Orochimaru's body.

But even a demon-enhanced genin could not keep up the fight against a Sannin for long. One slip was all it took and in an eyeblink Orochimaru had transformed an arm into a large python, shooting it forward like a lance to wrap around Naruto's neck. Grinning gleefully the yellow-eyed ninja lifted Naruto struggling off of his feet, sword dropped in his attempts to dislodge the snake coiling ever tighter around his neck. His enhanced force could not find purchase on the slippery scales, though, and Naruto cried out in pain as the vertebrae began to crack.

There was only one thing that Orochimaru failed to keep in his thoughts: this was not a one on one fight. A flash of brilliance severed the snake from his arm, the pain insignificant next to the rage of having the summon be broken by a mere girl. The pink-haired bitch was already unraveling the python from around her companion's neck, and he moved to strike her with another, smaller and highly venomous breed fired like an arrow from his right sleeve; this was intercepted, burned into a writhing mass that quickly expired by a blast of fire from both the Uchiha and the Hyuuga girl, who then turned the flames towards _him_.

Orochimaru was getting bored of fire. Damnable Konoha ninja, always throwing fire at him. At least the blond had a little bit of ingenuity, making a tunnel of air for the heat to be channeled through. And of course, the demon's power. He'd have to put a stop to that, before it became troublesome. If he ever got a chance. The boy's little girlfriends seemed dead-set on guarding him even as he recovered from the strangulation, and were distracting him from his ultimate goal of placing the curse seal on Sasuke. Perhaps it would be better to leave the demon be for now; tailed beasts had a way of turning on their masters and what is more Orochimaru didn't want the strongest of them to decide a vendetta was worth the effort.

Working through the seals with one hand while the other fended off yet another barrage of sword swipes and stabs, Orochimaru called forth another summon, focusing the entry portal on the bole of a tree behind Sasuke. Too intent on scorching the Sannin, he was utterly unaware of this fact until the snake bit into his neck, its venom and the chakra from the summoning becoming infused with the Uchiha's own and imparting the curse as had been Orochimaru's plan from the beginning.

"Seek the strength you desire, little Sasuke," taunted the Sannin. "Try not to die; I've invested a lot of time into that little gift and would hate to see it wasted." Laughing despite the setbacks he'd endured, Orochimaru set off a reverse summon and disappeared with a loud _snap_ of collapsing air.

* * *

Tsunade finally managed to stop the hammering in her chest, using centuries-old calming techniques to quiet the extremes her body was fighting against her control to access. That feeling just now, twisting and clawing at her insides, it had felt all too familiar. All of her senses had turned away from the city and focused on a point somewhere to the northwest, what the more rational part of her mind recognized as lying within Training Ground 44—the Forest of Death. It had to have been Naruto, but why on Earth would she even know that fact?

She noticed that she hadn't been the only one; after learning everything she could from Miyuki yesterday, Tsunade had spent most of the day following up on things, visiting the people Naruto knew, gathering a little more information about his life, putting more of the picture together. One of the stops along her meandering route around the city had been Ichiraku Ramen, and though she wasn't particularly fond of it, decided to order some for herself anyway so she'd have a reason to stay and chat up the owner and his daughter.

Right at the same time as Tsunade's senses had alerted her to the danger Naruto had been in, Ayame had broken three dishes and Teuchi had nearly cut his fingers off in the midst of chopping up some vegetables to throw into the chicken stock. Seeing as how she had a pet pig, Tsunade didn't really want pork, and hadn't been in the mood for beef or miso, either. Catching Teuchi's eye as the feelings subsided she noticed the deep frown.

"I hope that kid's alright. Always did hate the idea of him running around throwing himself at danger just so he could get people to look at him." Teuchi was carefully regulating his words, to hide the quaver that threatened to saturate them. He was a man of dignity and respect and would not show his worry in front of a guest.

_Naruto, what's happening to you? What's happening to us?_ Tsunade shook her head carefully, warning Teuchi that he was not to tell anyone what he'd just experienced. Teuchi was no fool; he may not have been a ninja but he knew the value of discretion, and if anything happened to Naruto, he knew about fifty other people who'd be ready to gear up and haul ass after whoever hurt him.

This rapport was pleasing to Tsunade. The boy had loyalists in the village after all. Maybe there was still hope for it.

* * *

Some people are inherently easier to control than others, and a man who couldn't remember his own name even more. Under the Nine-tails' influence he managed to sneak into Cloud and find his way to Yugito Nii, possessor of the Two-tailed Cat. While she slept the Nine-tails' chakra left his body (killing him in the process) and attached itself to that of the Two-tails. It was a brief liaison, this fragment having just enough power left to convey the plan to the Cat. The Ox was firmly under his host's control, but that could be changed.

Within her host the Cat smiled and devoured all traces of the messenger. It was a good plan. Way too good not to use. Soon she would begin spreading herself as well, and send messengers to the other tailed beasts if she could.

In due time the world would tremble before them once more.


	9. Exams, part 2

Sitting in the dark recesses of Naruto's mind, the devil fox contemplated the plan that he was enacting. Loath as he was to admit it but there were some whose chakra he could not meld with, minds he could not overwhelm. The current Hokage for example rejected every attempt to form a link, his station requiring him to keep a certain measure of aloofness for his own protection. Among the best examples were such clans as Inuzuka and Aburame; the former despite their affinity for beasts and animal companions had a very peculiar strain of chakra that was almost animalistic in its own right, and refused all attempts at chakra fusion. The Aburame on the other hand hid themselves behind walls and mazes, making even finding one's way into the truth of their minds difficult, and once there the path had become tangled and twisted, making any attempt to exert control impossible.

All the same there were plenty of strong people that he could latch onto, and slowly convert into his puppets. That fool Orochimaru thought he would tolerate him placing a seal on someone he'd already claimed as his own prize. It had been a simple enough matter to have his copy burn away the negative energy trying to consume the boy's soul and replace it with yet more of his own. Removing Orochimaru's mark had nearly depleted the chakra he'd placed inside Sasuke so far; being a demon, though, he had plenty more to spare. Difficulty still lay ahead and he would have to be more careful to not feed so much energy to his 'children' so quickly, as if too many people developed the outward signs that proper hosts were prone to having then the plan would be unraveled and the seal would be redone.

There was little that could be changed about those who were already being altered, but it could be prevented from happening to anyone else. Still, if he limited himself too much, then the secondary hosts would be unable to carry out his plan, burning through the copies before they could become self-sustaining. He was at a critical juncture here. The ones closest to his host already had a sufficient amount within their bodies that they might even begin to exhibit similar regenerative powers as he offered to Naruto; others however were not yet at that stage and the child still had several powerful opponents to overcome.

His future was headed towards a favorable outcome. If he could manage to outwit and overpower his enemies, especially in the eye of the public, then there would be opportunity for thousands of connections to be made, and then the plan would be out of danger. All he needed to do was survive until then. If he could manage to avoid Shukaku's host long enough, then there was no need to fear at all.

* * *

As fast as Hinata's hands are even she cannot break the speed of sound. The peculiarly-bandaged ninja swung his arm—the one with the large metal gauntlet covering it—and a blast of compressed noise well exceeding the limits of human hearing lifted her off her feet and flung her into the stone of the cave where the two teams had taken refuge after the encounter with Orochimaru. Pain flashed through her body as she made contact with the unyielding rock, forced aside as she completed the seals and melted into the stone. Using B-level techniques like that was a bit of a gamble but right now she needed all the advantage she could get.

Both teams were down a member, Sasuke gripped by some sort of fever due to the snakebite and Naruto simply catatonic following whatever he had done to enable a partial takeover of his body in order to fight Orochimaru. That left Sakura and Hinata to team up with Shino and Kiba, and as they were unfamiliar with each others' tactics in situations like this the situation had deteriorated rapidly. Kiba couldn't get anywhere near the one called Zaku, as every time he tried compressed air shot out of the Sound ninja's hands with enough force to punch holes in the trees.

Sakura had managed a defense against the sound-based attacks, putting a wall of water between herself and the only female ninja on the Sound team; this also left her unable to retaliate against the aggressors, once again stuck defending a helpless ally or two instead of participating in the fight. Most of her chakra was tied up in maintaining the barrier, which shot out whiplike tendrils whenever one of the enemies got close, so she was unable to form a shadow clone or even a regular clone to try and distract their enemies.

Shino was doing his best, using the insect colony he carried with him to drain away the opponents' energy, but the bugs were a weakness as well as a strength. Every attack from the Sound crew killed off more and more of the insects, their exoskeletons vaporizing under ultrasonic onslaughts. It wouldn't be long before his colony's combat effectiveness was gone entirely, and they still had yet to land a solid strike on any of the enemy ninja.

"Come on, Dosu, let's finish this off! These kids aren't any fun anymore."

"Be quiet, Kin. No sense in rushing when our prize isn't out in the open."

Behind the wall of water, two ninja were waking up and were considerably pissed to note that their teams were under attack, _again._ Sasuke rubbed his neck where the snake had bitten him, but all sign of pain and alien chakra was gone. What remained, however, was the indescribable urge to do _things_ to the people that were messing with his friends. "Sakura. On the count of three, drop the wall and grab the girl. Naruto, you grab the one with the spiky hair."

"What about the one with the fist?"

"I think that's covered." Indeed it was. Dosu was systematically chipping away at the wall that Hinata had sunk herself into, fully intent on reducing her to gooey morsels and completely ignorant of the fact that the technique Earth Style: Body Drill allowed its user to move through the earth and stone as if it were water. If he were more aware of elemental abilities he might have started sending sonic pulses into the ground; instead he made a gurgle of surprise as Hinata surfaced behind him and quickly sealed his arms and legs against movement. Restricted thus he was easily toppled over with a light shove, and his nose met the ground with a nasty crunch.

"Three." Right on cue Sakura dropped the wall and then made it surge forward after Kin, who had let herself be momentarily distracted by Dosu's fall and now found herself bound up in about a dozen tentacles made of water, which were wrapped around her body in several uncomfortable and at least one very private manner. Sakura grinned wickedly and slammed Kin into the ground a few times just to shake her up, though refrained from molesting her any further for the moment.

Zaku was the only one that was left standing after roughly ten seconds of counterattack, and was already preparing to send twin blasts after Sakura and Hinata when he witnessed a black and orange blur in the corner of his vision and then felt the worst pain he'd ever endured as a ninja. Naruto, in his infinite wisdom, had grabbed the waistband of the Sound ninja's underpants and pulled them up as high as he could, crushing Zaku's pride (and several other things) in the process. Immobilized by the sneak attack he had no chance to dodge as Sasuke's fist hammered into his jaw and knocked him out completely.

"I guess you're going to take all the credit for that victory now, huh?" Kiba groused as he limped into the clearing, Akamaru on his head looking more or less unhurt. He wasn't all that bad off himself, although he had caught one of Zaku's wind cannon blasts in the leg and it was still a little numb. Sasuke snorted as Shino began to rifle through the Sound team's belongings, coming up with the necessary scroll.

"Hardly, Kiba. You four did most of the work, keeping them at bay as long as you did. Me and Naruto were just the clean-up crew, that's all. What'd you find, Shino?"

"Heaven scroll. Useless."

"Leave it behind, then. What's your plan for these three?" Naruto shrugged; why was _he_ the leader? Sakura was better at it, but everyone seemed to like deferring to him for some reason.

"Take their clothes and tie them up? I'm sure someone will find them in a couple days." Sakura's eyes lit up as she thought of something. "Okay, but you should let a lady handle this one…I'll be back in a few minutes." Naruto and Kiba both glanced at her and noted the look in her eyes, blanching considerably.

"Right, uh, just make sure you bring her back in one piece? We're not savages after all."

"No promises!" the pink ninja sang, wandering off into the woods. The air was soon filled with various gasps, shrieks and moans from the captive kunoichi. Several of them were of a pitch and tone that were not consistent with pain or protest, leading Team Eight to wonder. It was Shino who spoke up in the absence of his team's inability to form sentences.

"Naruto." Shino's omnipresent sunglasses were perched low on his nose, letting the blond see his eyes. "What did you do to your teammates?"

* * *

"Did he really give that Zaku character a wedgie?"

"Looks like it. I'm more worried about what Sakura did to Kin."

"She didn't look too distressed when she was brought back."

"Kiba, she was naked. I doubt your eyes were off her tits long enough to look at her face."

"Shut up!"

"The problem is why didn't we take their Earth scroll earlier and why we now let them have the opportunity to enter the third stage of the preliminaries."

"So you noticed it too, Shino? It's very simple. I don't need any of my teammates losing an arm to the traps that were probably on the scroll, and we picked one up anyway. Plus they helped us out twice, so it's only fair that we return the favor."

"Perhaps. We are still allies, even if we are competing. And I agree. She did have rather pleasant breasts." Behind the high collar, the Aburame sported a smug grin. His friends stared at him, and the smugness faded with a cough. "We should probably find a place to rest before we head for the tower."

* * *

All told there were only fifteen left when the last team filtered through the doors, only three hours before the deadline. Team Seven had arrived the night before, after easily dispatching yet another team of visiting ninja who thought they could lay a genjutsu on a Hyuuga and then insult a Haruno's beauty. Those three had been left tied to a tree and their scroll dangling in easy reach from a branch, no tricks; given the better part of a day to rest Naruto and company were in top form.

Stage three of the preliminaries was single elimination, and it was this part above all else that Naruto was dreading. It was entirely possible at this point that he would be pitted against one of his teammates, and if that happened he planned to forfeit rather than keep a friend from a chance at becoming chuunin. He recognized the overseer for this fight, one Hayate Gekko. The man had a nasty chronic cough and persistently bored expression that Shikamaru could learn a few things from. The rules were simple enough. Fights were randomized. The opponents would battle until one gave up or was incapacitated, and for God's sake try not to kill your adversary.

Each jounin teacher was in attendance for the final stage of the preliminaries for some reason, and Naruto seethed that someone was going to get a free ride. If one more or one fewer team had shown up then there would be six or nine fights; as things were there would be seven fights, with the leftover combatant getting a bye to proceed to the next round to be held in another month. Anticipation mixed with desperation. If that board betrayed him and placed him against Sakura or Hinata, he'd never trust computers again in his life.

The first round went to Ten-Ten, matched against the Sand ninja, Temari. If the bun-haired ninja on Gai's team didn't alter her strategy she was going to lose, and unfortunately nobody expected her to even consider the possibility. Ten-Ten specialized in ranged weapons, as most of the people in the room were well aware. The unknown factor was Temari and her abilities with the fan she carried.

The fight didn't take long after Hayate gave the signal to start. Ten-Ten opened up immediately, throwing a brace of kunai mixed with shuriken and a pair of kusari-gama at the blonde woman, and the weapons were promptly blown aside with a focused wave of air launched from the fan. Consecutive swings tossed Ten-Ten at the wall and summarily knocked her unconscious; Temari, at least, was gracious enough to catch her unfortunate opponent and set her where the medics could easily attend to her.

Shikamaru fought next, with a masked Leaf shinobi in sunglasses that professed the ability to steal chakra away from his opponents. Like Ten-Ten, Shikamaru was good at long-range attacks; his, however, relied on the usage of his Shadow Possession technique, which was quite useful in forcing an enemy to move how he wanted. His shadow snapped out quickly, catching his opponent unawares. A substitution later and the masked man was now standing in Shikamaru's place; turning, the Nara started running, causing his enemy to splat face-first into the wall against his wishes.

And then the computer showed Naruto something even worse than what he thought possible.

* * *

Hinata swallowed the knot rising in her gorge, hands gripping the railing as she thought about quitting. She had no reason to fight her cousin, no desire to either, wishing there were some way out of it that would not bring derision and shame down upon herself and her teacher. That left only one real option. Her body felt sluggish as she headed for the stairs, as if she were still wearing the weights that Kakashi had only let his students remove the week before the exams.

Sakura was standing by the stairs, looking quite like she might lose her head. She was fidgeting with her braid incessantly, and as Hinata moved to pass, she reached out and caught the Hyuuga's arm. Pressing in close she said the words she never thought anyone else would say in this lifetime.

"Hinata," she began, her words for her friend's ears only, "I love you, so please be careful. Don't do anything unnecessary."

Pausing, face white and full of conflict, Hinata turned to Sakura. For a moment she thought that maybe someone had switched the young woman with a poor imitation, but everything about her was the same. Her memory flashed back to the two-word essay she'd turned in at the academy in regards to a rather important question. Hearing that Hayate and Neji were getting impatient, Hinata did the only thing she could think of. Grasping Sakura's shoulders, she met her face to face, lips against lips, confirming that the sentiment was shared. Words failed her and shakily she made her way down the stairs, leaving Sakura's head spinning.

"Lord Hiashi will not be pleased," Neji intoned as Hinata took up position in front of him.

"Father…loved once. I don't desire to fight you, cousin, but for the honor of my team, I must try."

"You will lose if you fight me. Quit now. Go back to her and be happy."

"I must try, Neji. I know you understand."

"Don't expect me to take it easy on you. Very well, Lady Hinata. Let's see how much you've advanced."

"Begin!"

As one the Hyuugas switched their sight over to the enhanced vision of the Byakugan, as one they began to trade soft blows charged with deadly spikes of chakra. For the moment they were evenly matched, Hinata keeping herself out of Neji's reach and slapping aside power strikes and quicksilver stabs, making the best effort to avoid suffering from sealed tenketsu in her arms and hands. She wished that she could use her sword; the blades had been turned over to Kakashi temporarily so that everyone would be on an even footing.

It was turning out to be a bad decision. The extra reach and lethality of a sword could not be matched by even the most refined of taijutsu, even the Gentle Fist practiced by every Hyuuga since the first one. No doubt it could have tipped the balance firmly in her favor; as Hinata stepped inside Neji's guard and delivered a hard spinning elbow to the ribs, breaking two of them, he seized the opportunity to tap her three times in quick succession. Agony exploded inside her mind as the arm she'd used to strike him went slack, losing all feeling. No medical expertise was needed to feel that the nerves had been shut off and as if that weren't bad enough the shoulder itself had fractured from the lance of chakra Neji sent into her body.

Undeterred, Hinata grit her teeth against the hurt and kicked for his knee, bending the left leg in a direction it was not meant to go. Neji had anticipated this though and twisted with the strike, turning a disabling strike into one that merely grazed him and left his calf smarting from torn skin and surface muscle; with another limb vulnerable more quick taps resulted in the offending leg breaking along the femur. Hinata, though, would not cry out, forcing herself to stay on her feet.

Meeting eyes that should not be, Neji hesitated for just a moment, taken aback by the dark slits that had appeared in the characteristic lavender of Hyuuga irises. Diving through layers of physical matter to see the spiritual that lay beneath, another moment passed where he was unsure to do. He knew of Naruto's seal, even if he could not speak of it, and knew the color of the beast within. How could it have come to reside in Hinata as well?

It would have to wait until another time. He must end this now. The Heavenly Palm would do the job nicely, and so long as he avoided any vital organs there would be no distaste for his methods. Father's sacrifice should not be rendered void by the hand of his son. Lightning-quick strikes pummeled Hinata, battering already-damaged flesh and sealing her pathways further. Eight strikes. Sixteen, thirty-two and finally sixty-four, the last blow directly to her forehead to push her cleanly into unconsciousness.

And yet somehow she remained on her feet, eyes open, a grim smile on her face. He dimly heard Hayate declare him the winner, so why was Hinata smiling as if she was the victor? It was senseless. Moral triumphs couldn't save you from death and he had this infuriating suspicion that he had yet to see his cousin's best. Resuming his typical scowl and relieving his eyes of the stress they were under, Neji returned to his sensei.

* * *

The gathered ninja let out a collective sigh, witnessing proof that Neji had learned some sort of restraint. Many of those closer to him knew he resented the main house of the Hyuuga clan for something in the recent past, occurring within the last ten years. Few ever pried, as it was personal business and if he wanted to discuss it, he would. Gai was particularly relieved; as he knew the full story he'd been readying himself to force Neji down if it seemed he was going too far. Since this was not the case, the only one he had left to worry about was Lee.

The normally bombastic jounin in the green trousers watched dispassionately as Naruto made short work of Kiba. Oh, to be sure, the Inuzuka boy put up a good fight, especially when paired up with his beast partner in a human transformation, but brute force, as many often learned the hard way, couldn't hold a candle to Naruto's inventiveness. He was still having trouble wrapping his head around what happened. All he could tell for sure is that after Kiba threw a smoke bomb to give himself the advantage, Naruto had managed to trick him, and it all went downhill from there for Inuzuka.

He lost interest after that, not even noticing when it turned out that the "Sakura" that ended her fight with Ino in a double knockout turned out to be a shadow clone; it still counted as a loss for both girls and Ino's teammates weren't going to tell her that she hadn't even been fighting her real rival. His thoughts were only on Lee, his last chance to win the betting pool.

* * *

At the end of the preliminaries, all he felt was weariness. Naruto had visited Hinata in the hospital, of course, proper friendship allowed no less. It was amusing in a satisfying sort of way to see Sakura holding hands with the girl who used to crush on him and possibly still did. Rather than feel jealousy over the deepening companionship between the two, the lingering attraction to Sakura said he must give them nothing but his best wishes, and so he did. After ensuring that Hinata was going to be okay Naruto headed for home, having a whole month to himself between now and the final stage of the exams.

Needless to say he was quite at a loss as to how to spend that time. Training? Learning new techniques? If he were honest with himself, he had to say that he just wanted to spend time with his princess, learn more about her. Chagrin tinged his cheeks as he remembered that he'd left her at his apartment for the last five days, wondering if he'd lived through the trials. She must be worried sick.

The low-rent building looked in a lot better shape than he'd left it and there weren't the usual congregation of unemployed bums and cheap thugs on the stoop, either. His home's interior was looking equally pristine, in a way that it probably had not seen since it was first constructed. Naruto had to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Voices were coming from the third floor and the old drunk who usually spent his days sitting on the stairs was missing; he hoped the old man hadn't kicked off while he'd been away.

Pausing in front of his door, Naruto surmised that Miyuki had a guest, someone who was young, female and interested in liquor. Weighing his options, the youth finally knocked on the door twice, announcing himself.

"Miyuki, it's Naruto. I'm coming in." Testing the knob he found the door unlocked, so he wouldn't have to use his key to get in. Relief flooded his features as he saw it was Tsunade who sat at Miyuki's table, and not that old bat who took a certain percentage off of Miyuki's 'income'. The young lady was looking better, not a whole lot but definitely improved, and for reasons he didn't quite know. All the same seeing her not looking worn out or tired made him happy.

"Naruto! You never told me your girlfriend was a doctor!"

"She never told me, either. And she's not really my girlfriend yet. That's all up to her." Cheeky grin reflecting his elevated spirits, Naruto shut the door and settled into a chair, eminently aware that he looked pretty rugged right at that moment. Fatigue evaporated at the ladies' smiling faces. Tsunade spoke first.

"So, how'd you do, squirt? You're not dead so I have to assume you stuck it out as long as possible."

"Yup! Made it all the way to the final round. I get to compete in the big stadium next month! I'm the only one off my team, though; Hinata got banged up pretty bad and Sakura landed in a double knockout situation. Eight candidates left, so they'll have a nice even bracket."

"Oh no!" Miyuki's hands flew to her mouth and she tried to mask her concern. "Is that cutie Hinata okay? You and she would make a cute couple!" She winked, hinting at something which Naruto ignored.

"Nothing a week in the hospital won't fix, though she won't be training for awhile. Broken leg and some other stuff. And nah, she's got it bad for Sakura." His grin softened into a smile, elbows on the table, chin in his hand. "I don't know why I didn't notice it sooner, but they spend a lot of time together. Wouldn't be surprised if they tried to get married someday."

"Ohh, two ladies in love, how scandalous!"

"Not in my book. Love is love. Doesn't care about gender or species." Tsunade snorted, stifling a bout of laughter as she recalled a juicy rumor that used to circulate about the Inuzuka clan, that got even better when someone decided it was a tighter fit for the Uchiha. That there were now less than a dozen Uchiha left in the world sobered the amusement. "Say, princess? Why didn't you say you were a doctor anyway?"

"You never asked, Naruto. It was a long time ago besides. During the war. I'll tell you about it later—I've terrified Miyuki enough for one day."

"Oh not at all, Lady Tsunade. You've been plenty of help." Miyuki's face flashed with consternation and a hand rested on her belly, blush creeping across the bridge of her nose. "She's getting restless in there. I figure only another few weeks before I'm carrying this kid on the outside."

"Are you looking forward to it?"

"Naruto, every woman looks forward to the day when she's not as big as a whale anymore. Boys like you are lucky that they'll never have to go through such an experience." Naruto flushed at the implication, despite the lack of malice in Miyuki's attitude; even if he personally wouldn't up and leave on someone, the fact that her lover had done and run was a strike against the whole male gender.

"Um… I'm going to go wash up now, okay? Princess, you can let yourself in?"

"Sure, kid. Oh, right, I did some shopping for you, so you owe me. Next time don't let it go so long, okay?"

"Sorry, princess. I'll do better next time!"

* * *

Following a refreshing shower and a change of underpants, Naruto stuffed himself into a pair of shorts, throwing his dirty clothes into the hamper to take to the laundromat later. Sometimes he pondered why he maintained such habitation when his stipend coupled to the money he earned on missions allowed for much nicer surroundings, but each time he did the answer was always the same. He wasn't some slumlord getting rich off of the destitute, nor was he some sort of miracle savior. He was Naruto, the boy who lived in #3-C. Naruto, the one who watched your back. Naruto, the one who'd never hurt you no matter what.

These people, even as low-born as they were—the sort of people that someone like Sasuke would never even look at, let alone associate with—had been like family since he was a half-pint brat. They'd looked out for him as often as he'd taken care of them, and even if he ended up wearing that fancy hat he aspired to, they'd still be his brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, aunts, uncles and cousins. Blood ties didn't mean a damn thing. Miyuki was the hapless truth of that.

Padding into his bedroom, Naruto found Tsunade reclining on his bed, the television on at low volume. He didn't miss her eyes drinking in his body, pretending not to notice it; not one prone to narcissism Naruto accepted the fact that he might be viewed as attractive by some, preferring to steadfastly refuse in making it the focus of his life to be seen as handsome. Wordlessly he settled in next to her with a heavy, weary sigh, resting his head on her stomach just below the bosom that many had tried in vain to catch even a glimpse of, and which he had faith she would offer willingly purely because it wasn't what he was after.

Long fingers started playing through his hair, idly twisting and turning through the erratic strands; this was soon accompanied by soft humming. Rubbing his slippered feet back and forth on the floor, body hanging partially off the bed at an angle, Naruto eliminated questions one by one in search of the best way to ask the question that was going to dredge up a slew of unpleasant memories.

"Princess..?"

"Mm?"

"I know I'm being rude but…could you tell me about it? Who he was?" Tsunade bit her lip and delayed her answer, mind wracked with despair that he would ask this now. For a brief interval she even questioned why she was in this young man's room, offering him these comforts as she once had to her sibling, and later to her lover; in due course she came to the conclusion that she had feelings for him now, too, and despite all his blundering he wasn't meaning to hurt her. Taking measures to avoid giving away her real age to him, Tsunade told him. Haltingly, the story of the necklace spilled from her lips, and with each word Naruto grew more resolute.

By the end of it he regretted asking, and deeply wished he knew of some way to remove that morbid fear. Cryptic warnings danced in his head as he moved, rolling over to straddle her, hands placed to either side of Tsunade's head. Gently he took one of her hands and bid her not to move no matter what, and then sank his teeth in hard enough to draw blood and show it to her. Tsunade jerked her hand away from the bite, freezing as she saw the crimson welling up on her limb.

"Take a good long look, Princess. This is the blood that ran through the veins of a hero. I know he died, but he died the way every ninja wishes to: in defense of this village that he loved. This is the blood that poured out in sacrifice to keep his friends and his family safe." If it was working he couldn't tell, as Tsunade's eyes were still locked on the trail of red working its way down her arm from the puncture.

"I know it hurts, I know you have an endless pit in place of that love you used to have. I'm not asking you to forget, princess. I'm asking you not to betray their memory, the gift of life they gave to everyone around them. If I could I'd happily trade myself to bring them back, but that would just cheapen death, make it meaningless. Please, princess. Don't run away anymore." Silently he brushed the blood away and looked down into her eyes. Speeches didn't sit well with him; he liked action, showing through deeds what words could never convey. Pulling on her shoulders he lifted Tsunade against his chest, wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace. For a long time he held her listlessly, fearing that she'd fled and wasn't going to return. Almost when he had given up, he was at last rewarded.

Arms rising from her sides, Tsunade returned the embrace, pulling back just as tightly as the blond who had woken her from the nightmare that had haunted her relentlessly throughout her wanderings.

"Thank you, Naruto. This village doesn't know how lucky it is to have you."

* * *

Inside the Hokage's tower, a white-haired man wearing a funky getup let himself into Sarutobi's office. The entire administrative floor was devoid of habitation save for Sarutobi and the man he'd summoned. The calling had been a formality, mostly, as the Toad Sage had been on his way to Konoha, official orders or no. The broad hat resting on the desk and his back to the door, Sarutobi blew a wisp of smoke at the window he stared out of, and beckoned for the visitor to enter.

"You're an hour late, Jiraiya. Doing some 'research', were you?"

"A good author never reveals his sources, sir. I would have been here a week ago but there was a little bit of delay in Stone that required my undivided attention." A delay that measured six feet tall and measured 38-32-36, and happened to have an inside line to the Tsuchikage. Keeping his contacts happy with favors, visits and gifts kept him informed.

"Very well. I won't waste time on formalities. I wanted to talk to you about training him." Jiraiya's eyes closed and he took a deep breath, meditating to quash the foul mood rising up inside him.

"I thought we agreed I was only to ensure the seal was still functioning properly. Not teach a half-assed ninja.

"Haven't read the reports, have you? Though I can't say he's experiencing an outrageous rate of development, Naruto, as well as his teammates, is showing better progress than even I had hoped for. I won't force you into it, of course, but I must insist you at least evaluate him yourself."

"Right, sure. What about this other problem?"

"There have been several incidents involving people behaving in a disconcertingly aggressive manner. Each of the people is someone that Naruto has been in frequent and in some cases daily contact with. It's all coincidental for now, though I'm having ANBU looking for any sort of pattern to explain it."

"If it is as serious as you say we might need to start thinking of a way to identify these people before they go off. The theories I'm coming up with I don't like and in every scenario there's only three conclusions. Two of them you won't like and the third requires resources we don't have."

"Then you'd best start thinking of a way to do it without those resources and without resorting to outright murder."

"You don't like to make things easy, do you?"

"If it were easy, it wouldn't be worth anything. I suggest you get started, Jiraiya. The village isn't going to figure out how to apply a seal to every inhabitant on its own."

"So glad I don't have to explain it."

* * *

_To my good friend Kagami:_

_I hope this letter finds you well. My apologies that I haven't written recently; preparations for the Chuunin exams have precluded any opportunity to write to you, but now that I am convalescing after my performance in the third section of the preliminaries, I have nothing but time._

_Following your advice I have confessed my love—or rather it was confessed to me. Regardless of who made the first move, my dearest and I now share in a happiness that I hope you find as well someday. Regretfully it seems that the old superstition about not confessing love to someone before they enter combat holds true; while I am told I acquitted myself well, the outcome lay in favor of my opponent. I don't remember it entirely. Still, even in the face of this failure I feel nothing but joy. There is now not a single barrier between myself and my friend. She is compassionate and strong, eminently worthy of the name she bears._

_Sakura is as beautiful as her name suggests, and time will only make her moreso. Fear not, Kagami, for I have not forgotten you even in the face of this change in heart. There is room in my heart for everyone precious to me. And as to your request in your last correspondence, please find enclosed the items sought. (This is a gross misuse of clan property, and yet I find myself unabashed for it.)_

_Eagerly awaiting your reply,_

_Hinata_


	10. Exams, part 3

_From: Crow_

_To: Monkey_

_Re: Storms_

_They're definitely stepping up their plans. Something seems to have spooked them and they're willing to risk being discovered if it means capturing their targets. My personal recommendation is to step up the guard around Fox, or at least make him aware that he's a target for assassination. It's not pleasant news but it's all I've got right now._

_I'll send more info when I can._

* * *

_From: Monkey_

_To: Crow_

_Re: Fox_

_I've done the best I can to increase the guard around him but there's only so much I can do before he starts noticing and getting suspicions of his own. Currently he is unaware of the fact that he is associated with not one but two of the legendary Sannin, my old students, and the longer he remains ignorant of this fact the better._

_If you can contact Snake before he starts whatever machinations he has in mind and get him to focus his attention elsewhere I would be most appreciative. His ambitions are getting out of hand and I fear the recent setbacks in acquiring Lion haven't dulled them in the slightest._

* * *

_From: Owl_

_To: Bear_

_Re: Fox_

_Man, did you see that babe he was with? Lucky little shit. And he's completely oblivious to her, too. If I weren't stuck on this stupid extended escort mission I'd be down there chatting her up in a heartbeat. She's eating out of his hand and he's not even trying!_

_

* * *

_

_From: Shade_

_To: Owl_

_Re: recent missives_

_Stop using official channels to trade gossip. I'm not even kidding. Any and all discussion related to Fox is classified for a reason. If you really need a recreational break, I can schedule you some time with Python. She hasn't tormented anyone recently._

_

* * *

_

_From: Owl_

_To: Shade_

_Re: Python_

_No thank you, sir. It won't happen anymore, promise._

* * *

Hissing against the sting of steel, Tsunade froze momentarily as she saw the blood welling up from the cut she'd given herself. Clenching her eyes shut she turned away from the rivulets making their way down onto the cutting board and slowly forced her eyes open again, turning her head back to take in the full image and hold it there. Naruto's words had helped but in all honestly it was going to take more than some heartfelt gestures to get over something she'd carried around for decades.

Mustering up the will to move she ran her hand under the tap water briefly, and then closed the incision with a quick application of the most basic and most useful of medical techniques. Chakra stitching was convenient for those minor injuries. Placing the bloodied knife aside Tsunade stared down into the drain, going through the possible reasons that she was so on edge. So far she'd managed to avoid seeing him, but after two weeks of training under him Naruto was beginning to like Jiraiya, and everyone he liked he either brought home or they found their way to him.

She was Exhibit A for that, after all, living in with Naruto as if they'd been married for years instead of persons that had started a somewhat illicit relationship after meeting only twice, three times if she counted the reunion atop the monument. Whatever the reasons for it just being around him was refreshing, making her feel like she did in those days when she wanted to take on the whole world and damn anyone who thought they could stand in her way.

Naruto had his own demons, Tsunade had discovered, and not all of them stemmed from the one he kept imprisoned. The loss of his parents had deeply influenced his early life so he latched on to any and all attention that people would give him. The pair talked nightly and two weeks of conversations had given her insights into the young man that most people, even his closest allies, lacked entirely. Loss, loneliness, depression, despair; somehow he'd managed to weather them all and come out the other side smiling.

Such ineffable optimism had a way of being infectious, to a degree, and whatever else people might say about him, there was no doubt at all that he wasn't going to give up until you were on his side. Less a case of might makes right and more a case of everyone's a potential ally, Naruto exhibited a suicidally strong case of reverse paranoia. He was going to be your friend whether you liked it or not. And once he was your friend then you had his full protection to the best of his ability.

Thankfully there were very few people who saw fit to abuse that notion and most of those in the very limited circle of true companions would never, she hoped, even dream of using him as a tool to further their own ends. Naruto worked for everyone's mutual benefit and therefore they must act in a similar manner. Briefly she was considering calling Shizune to the city; as skilled as her apprentice was though Tsunade thought that the woman deserved a break from attending to her master's eccentricities. There had been correspondence, delivered via the usual methods, and though it had been phrased nicely Shizune had made it clear she was in no hurry to start getting into trouble again.

Perish the thought. No, she'd give Shizune that much-deserved time off. It was easier to sneak around that way, although, Tsunade considered, if she really wanted to sneak around she'd have entered Konoha under disguise, assumed identity, and through the main gates. As things stood she was sending out a beacon saying 'find me, I'm right in your lap!' without any regard to what danger it might bring her. But this was Konoha, her hometown. What danger could she possibly be in here?

"I'm home!" It wasn't something Naruto was used to saying, just that now that he had a person to share his personal space with the words were not only appropriate, but necessary. And he liked saying them. They felt pretty good, he thought. The training with Jiraiya was going well; giving the old man credit where credit was due he certainly had to admit that when it came to picking teachers with strong ninjutsu and stronger minds, the Hokage had him beat hands-down.

Unloading the canvas bag and stuffing its contents into the fridge, Naruto entertained the question of whether he deserved to be called Jiraiya-sensei yet, or if he'd continue with the teasing appellation of 'Ero-sennin' or maybe 'pervy sage'. It wasn't to imply that Naruto didn't have his own blue streak; he appreciated the female figure just like any other man but didn't feel it necessary to go to such great lengths to…_admire_ it. Judicious application of the Ninja Centerfold was ample motivation to get Jiraiya to teach him a new skill, such as water-walking, the offer of a summoning contract, and his new favorite toy.

"Welcome home, Naruto!" The cheerful sound of Tsunade's voice warmed his heart as he stood next to her at the sink, filling up a watering can so he could start the chore of keeping the plants watered and fed. The apron looked good on her, he concluded, accenting the blue shirt and black trousers nicely. He wasn't going to say that it made her look like a homemaker, though, remembering that she could easily throw him as far as Mist if she wanted to. It was equitable trade, really. Taking turns with the various duties of maintaining a home cemented the idea that certain tasks weren't her sole responsibility just because she was female. "All done with your training for today?"

"Thank God, yes. That new teacher is good, but he's pushy as hell. And keeps getting distracted every time a pretty girl walks by. He's worse than Kakashi-sensei. Worse than Ebisu, even."

"And who's Ebisu that he has such trouble keeping his eyes to himself?"

"Konohamaru's bodyguard and tutor. Sort of a dirty old man in a young man's body. He'll deny it every time, though, so don't bother asking him about it."

"Fair enough. Now show me what you learned, kid. I'm eager to see what new hells you've become capable of inflicting on your enemies."

Naruto nodded and held out his right hand, palm facing towards the ceiling with the fingers bent, and began to focus. "I'm still working on it but I've got it partway down, I think. All that control training with Sakura really helped." Slowly the chakra began to build up in his palm, manifesting as a rotating disc that slowly expanded into a sphere. His attention completely on the task he was performing, Naruto missed Tsunade setting her lips into a thin line, eyes open as far as they could go. The alarm was quite palpable, and sensing it Naruto let the ball disperse harmlessly as he looked to her.

"Er, is something wrong with it?"

"No, nothing's wrong. I'm just surprised you're learning such a high-level technique at your age. Don't let it go to your head, squirt! Just being strong isn't enough to make chuunin."

"That's what everyone keeps telling me. I don't know if I believe it yet, though. Hmm…is that teriyaki I smell?"

"Maybe. I thought you could use a reward for all your hard work."

"I'd like it a bit more if he taught me better swordplay. If I'm more skilled the less likely it is that I'll have to permanently injure someone." There was no lie to that. Naruto had a rather powerful stigma against killing if he could help it, and though he possessed some powerful techniques, nearly all of them could be powered down, so to speak, to a level where they could wound or incapacitate yet not cause any enduring physical harm.

That was fine with Tsunade, naturally, as befitting her background. She hated the idea of Naruto killing, as well, and if he thought that finesse was better than power, it meant his wisdom was improving alongside his ninjutsu. Little could be done to dampen his spirits at this point, and she dared the world to try. He was growing on her like a weed, like ivy clinging to a trellis, and if she were truthful to herself, Tsunade didn't want it to stop.

Naruto found himself pulled inside his head again, standing in the waters that flowed past his shins and smelled faintly of refuse for how clear they were. If the water was a metaphor related to chakra, then the depth and speed of it meant more was getting out. His body didn't feel strained, so it obviously wasn't expanding out into him. The foul stench belied the apparent purity of the stream, suggesting that malicious intent remained with the demon.

"What'd you bring me in here for? Tsunade will get worried!"

**We exist in altered time within. Time without is but a moment compared to this.**

"Get to the point, please. I'm hungry."

**You know what I want. Let me free.**

"Can't do it, sorry. You'd just go rampaging around the countryside again, hurting people I care about. You've done bad, fox, so you've got to serve your time just like everyone else."

**Arrogant monkey, though there is truth in your words. I know your goals, boy. I can help you realize them.**

"In exchange for what? My soul? My body? Some other exorbitant price?"

**Ever the humorist. No, monkey, I desire no such things.**

"Then what? Oh forget it, I'm wasting my time here. You can just sit and rot for all I care." Frowning, Naruto turned and trudged towards the ladder, climbing up out of the darkness and back into the real world to find Tsunade's hand pressed to his forehead. He blinked and smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his skull as she took her hand away.

"You okay? You spaced out for a minute there."

"Yeah, just thinking. The finals are in just two more weeks and I'm getting a little nervous." A quick glance at the calendar hung up by the kitchen door proved different, and Tsunade arched an eyebrow, smirking at him before jerking a thumb at the page with the day circled on it.

"I think I know what you're really nervous about. October 10th's your birthday, right? And that means you're officially a man." There was a sing-song to the way she said it that set Naruto's cheeks to reddening, wondering what he'd inadvertently gotten himself into. He didn't expect a celebration or special observation really, though a cupcake with a candle and maybe some gifts would be nice. Nobody really celebrated his birthday, as a matter of fact. Thirteen years had not been enough time to take the edge off of that day.

"It's not really something I want to call attention to."

"Doesn't matter. I'm still taking you out."

"Thanks, Tsunade. I'll be on my best behavior, promise."

* * *

"I honestly am surprised to find out that you're the 'princess' he keeps talking about. From the way you talked when you left, you made it clear that you were never coming back."

"Never's a long time. Things can change between then and now, and they did. Maybe he won't suffer the same fate as the last two people I dared to love."

"He's a strong one. How'd you know I was in the city, anyway?"

"I keep up with his training and keep him happy. When he started forming a Rasengan, that's when I figured out who his teacher was. You can count on one hand the number of people in the world who know that technique. You're taking a big risk, showing him things that could provide clues to his parentage."

"Don't think it's fair that he's been kept in the dark so long. He should really be told."

"And break his spirit completely? He's not ready. Even if he is maturing, such a revelation will only crush him. It's cruel and unfair, but it's what's best at this point."

"You'd better be right. I know you didn't come here to talk to me about that, though."

"Thirteenth birthday."

"Ah, of course. Well I can do some asking around, see how they do things these days. Pretty sure it's going to be different from our own."

"I'm making him be on his best behavior so you'd better be, too."

"No promises."

* * *

Since it was his birthday, Jiraiya had given him the day off from training and a little money to treat himself to a nice outfit. Naruto had stared at the money a little suspiciously at first, wondering if there was a catch.

"You know, Naruto," he'd said when questioned, "there used to be a tradition that on his thirteenth birthday, a boy's friends would steal his clothes and he had to show up to his party in his birthday suit. Times have changed, though, and it's important for you to look your best. So go out, get yourself some nice clothes, and make sure you get nice and clean because I have a feeling that you're not going to last through the day without getting dirty."

So he'd went out and bought himself a nice dark blue formal kimono from one of the older shops in town, making sure to wash both body and clothes before changing into the new outfit. The woven straw sandals felt a little funny but were easy enough to walk in, and for once he'd even combed his hair. Naruto was not going to go anywhere without the headband that marked him as a ninja, though today he borrowed a page from Shikamaru and tied it to his left arm, rather than wearing it on his forehead.

After some deliberation he decided not to include his sword or body armor, settling for a brace of kunai strapped to each arm as insurance against the unthinkable. If he had to use them on this of all days he would be severely cross with someone. On the other hand he could show off that balancing trick he'd learned recently. Clutching the paper with an address written on it left for him, he made his way out into the afternoon streets. For most people this was to be a day of remembrance, and more than a few faces gave him dirty looks; many were quite respectful on the other hand, and some even complimented the change of attire.

Arriving at the address written down, Naruto cautiously slid the door aside, wary of ambush. That had happened on his ninth, and thoroughly spoiled the day and the rest of his month for that matter. His body tensed as the lights went out in the curiously empty building, senses stretching out for any sort of purchase; strong hands grabbed him and pushed him forward before any protest could be raised and there was the sound of another door opening and then closing behind him.

The hands let go and the lights came up suddenly, revealing a room full of people all wearing happy smiles. Loud cheers and yells of "congratulations!" matched the banner strung across the ceiling between two lanterns, and exploding confetti horns launched streamers and scraps of colorful paper into the air. Jiraiya, Iruka, Konohamaru and company, Tsunade standing behind him and undoubtedly the one who'd pushed him to begin with. Sakura, Hinata (still in a cast but appearing not to care), Kakashi inscrutable beneath the mask but eyes betraying a smile. Teuchi, Ayame, Miyuki looking ready to pop and still on her feet. Sasuke, Shino, Kiba baring his fangs in a feral grin to show he didn't carry any grudge. Kurenai holding hands with Asuma, Chouji fidgeting with the bag of chips he'd been barred from eating. Ino bearing flowers, Shikamaru still lazy as a cloud and managing a smile anyway… All of his friends and precious people.

And for the rest of the night, Naruto was happier than he could ever remember being.

* * *

Laid up in bed, unable to sleep despite his exhaustion, Naruto's thoughts wandered. The beautiful lady snoring lightly couldn't deter him either, and frankly she looked quite astonishing with the moonlight outlining her in such a way as to give the impression she'd been cast from silver. Peace. That's what he felt. No turmoil, no apprehension, no misery. All was right with the world.

So even when he heard that voice echoing in his mind, the smile refused to leave his lips.

**You look happy, boy. Are you pleased with yourself?**

_I have every right to be. Today I took the first steps into manhood._

**So I noticed.** There was a hint of smugness in the voice, implying something other than what Naruto had meant.

_Are you jealous, you cranky old fox?_

**I am…proud. It is strange, that you would keep me prisoner and yet I have this overwhelming satisfaction in the progress you've made. Granted some of it was due to my presence…**

_I'm plenty capable of hard work without your intercession. You're proud of me, though?_

**One might wonder if you'd begin to understand what it is we Beasts really seek. Your kind created us, you know. Oh no, don't think about asking. It is a story for another time. But it was men who made us, and when they saw what they had wrought, hung their heads in shame and anguish.**

_You're not making any sense again._

**Did you enjoy the festivities? I can live vicariously through you, yet it is not enough. A Beast must be free to roam as it wishes, or else it will grow jaded and cruel.**

_So come out with it already. What do you want that's so important that you'd risk my life and everyone else's to have it?_

**It would be nice if there were a world empty of humans that we could depart to, but there is not. Your kind makes demons of us, seals us inside chosen men and women, make weapons of us. Our only goal is freedom. And we will have it.**

_Is it worth the cost? You can see through my eyes without me being aware of it. Does your want justify sending us all to hell in your stead?_

**From what I have seen, the answer is yes.**

_Allow me to disagree with you._

**You will see soon enough. Now sleep. Your…celebrations aren't yet done.**

* * *

_Naruto staggered, spitting blood, speared through by no less than a dozen rock pillars and ramrod-straight serpents, filling his body with more holes than he could reasonably heal before expiring. Keeping to his feet he made the hand signs one last time and released the buildup, turning his mass into energy and consuming his attackers in a blinding explosion._

_Hinata dodged through buildings, over rooftops, down alleyways, parrying with her blade and slashing opponents across eyes and throats and bellies; there were simply too many and she was quickly overwhelmed, beaten down and kicked here and there, suffering under a rain of blows that left her broken and bloodied before they decided to have some fun with her._

_Sakura in an even worse situation, exhaling some of her vitality with every step, heedless of the knives buried in her back as she half-carried half-dragged a blinded Sasuke to a medical station. There was no time to seek treatment for herself; as soon as her former crush was given over to the medics in an already crowded triage unit she went for another, ignoring the battle that raged just so she could try and save one more life._

_Blood covered her clothes, her hands, permeating all the way down to her muscles and forever staining her skin the same rust color as what spilled from the people she was trying to save. Tsunade rushed frantically from bed to bed, trying to stabilize people where she could, and give quick death where she couldn't. A full contingent of ANBU fought valiantly to defend the hospital, and then a mighty crash brought a wall tumbling to the ground, allowing scores of enemy ninja to pour in and begin slaughtering indiscriminately._

_The last thing she sees before a giant snake swallows her whole is Shizune, throwing poisoned needles left and right, at everything that moved, all to protect the young mother huddling fearfully in a corner with the infant she refused to believe had already died._

_And through it all she heard laughter. That arrogant, grating hiss of laughter…_

Shooting into a sitting position with a yell, Tsunade blinked back the tears as sunlight attempted to blind her. The smell of cooking eggs and bacon assaulted her nose, accompanied by the clatter of a pan as the bedroom door slammed open and Naruto peeked his head in worriedly. "Everything okay, princess?"

"I'm fine. Just a bad dream, that's all." _Or a premonition._ Ignoring the hammering in her heart and the scowl on Naruto's face as he went back into the kitchen to finish making breakfast, Tsunade stood, throwing on fresh underpants and a slightly rumpled t-shirt. The air had gotten crisp and cool from the lateness of the month, yet the goosebumps that peppered Tsunade's skin weren't from the open window. Maybe it was just anxiety over the finals tomorrow; if Naruto made chuunin then he'd be given extra responsibilities, along with higher risks.

If she had to attend his funeral, then hers would be next. The dream filled her with a sense of foreboding, and for it to happen on the eve of the finals… no. That path would not be traveled. The future was not set in stone and there was no reason to fear images born from anxiety. But just to be safe, she was going to call Shizune in tonight. Hard experience had taught her that there was no such thing as overpreparing.

At the worst she'd have to come out of hiding and help patch up some unexpected injuries. At the worst. That is what she kept repeating in her head as Naruto set the plates down and nudged her with a grin.

"Are you excited for tomorrow?" she queried of him, digging in; like everything else Naruto's cooking was improving by several measures, and it was always interesting to see what twists that he'd put on the food he prepared. This morning's meal was surprisingly unenhanced. Just plain old bacon, eggs and toast.

"You're damn right I am. Tomorrow is going to change everything, I can feel it. Excited isn't a strong enough word."

"There's one more gift I wanted to give you, Naruto. Before tomorrow." At her words he looked up, swallowing the mouthful of food before giving her an inkling of the perplexity worming around in his mind. Without any fanfare or undue hesitation she unclasped the crystal necklace that had been her keepsake since but a child, and slowly laid it on Naruto's shoulders, closing the clasp before giving him a soft, need-filled kiss.

"Let that keep you safe, Naruto. Come back in one piece, alright?"

* * *

It had finally arrived. The day when everyone would have their notions of who the real powers in the ninja world were reinforced or changed to fit the outcomes of the impending proceedings. All of the matches had been set prior to the participants' arrival; no randomization this time. Bristling with nervous energy Naruto strode into the stadium through the entrance reserved for candidates, meeting up with the other Konoha genin who had made it to the final stage.

Neji was there, staring at him impassively as he checked his armor and weapons one last time. They'd be of little use against the Gentle Fist probably, but having them made him feel better all the same. Shikamaru was standing by Sasuke, discussing strategy with their respective opponents. He caught a fragment of "uses sand for a shield" and "catch Gaara in a genjutsu" but no more than that.

Naruto's was the first match of the day. He couldn't fight if he couldn't calm down and even through the walls he could hear the roar of a crowd that had to number in the thousands, thrilling with anticipation to see some blood and violence as if they were attending gladiatorial games. In a sense, they were; not only were the exams meant to choose who was worthy of advancement and who was not, they also served to display the hosting nation's martial prowess and military might.

Plus the economic boom from tourism and contracts would bolster the host city's economy for months afterward. Doubtlessly, dignitaries, nobles and intermediate officials from all over the continent were also in attendance, waiting to see what the day would bring.

Up in the VIP section of the stadium reserved for the more influential clans and wealthier nobles, Hinata attempted not to look worried as the opening ceremonies drew to a close. It was a pretty big field that the finalists were to fight in with some nicely varied terrain. In fact it was so large that they had to employ cameras to cover every part of it, displaying the action (that for now was just a senbon-chewing chuunin bringing the formalities to a head) on a quartet of screens arranged around the stadium so nobody was denied a view.

"Neji will acquit himself well," Hanabi commented, watching as the eight genin took to the field to be introduced to the crowd. "His opponent will fall swiftly."

"Do not be so bold as that, Hanabi."

"Yes, father."

"It is before your birth but there was once a time where the name 'Uzumaki' carried fear and reverence along with it. Perhaps we will see such a time again. Neji will not make it easy for him, though, will he?"

"Naruto will not make it easy for Neji, either, father." The cast was itching around Hinata's leg with no way to scratch it, having to make do with secretly delighting in snubbing Hanabi's attitude. People who underestimated Naruto tended to regret it.

"No matter the outcome this will only reflect favorably on the clan. So it matters little if Neji is defeated."

Back down on the field…

Naruto took up a stance in front of Neji at dead center of the field, wearing a smile that was disturbingly similar to the sort of image Lee projected when he was deeply engaged in a fight. He even held his body the same way. As was tradition, he placed his left wrist against Neji's own, palm open, both combatants barely restrained. When the last of the other genin had returned to the waiting area the examiner and referee, Genma, stepped a fair distance away from them and raised his hand into the air.

"Let the first match of the Chuunin Finals…begin!"

_Author's notes:_

_Damn it, the Chuunin Exam arc is a pain in the ass. But it'll be over soon, and then it's on to NAMEK! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!_


	11. Exams, part 4

Wave after wave of air sliced their way past him, forcing Neji to get creative in how he deflected the compression blasts that launched from every swing of the sword in his enemy's hands. There had been nothing like this on any of the reports that he'd managed to dig up on Naruto, no mention that he had either elemental techniques _or_ advanced weapons training. The failure was his, he supposed. The matches had been finalized a month ago and he didn't take the time to observe his enemy's training regimen, focused instead on his own just as intently.

The crowd at least was eating it up, cheering with every dodge and near miss that blasted into the dirt floor of the arena, every slash that kicked his hair around like it were caught in a tornado. Forming barriers of chakra in his hands and arms, Neji ran into the next air blade, pushing his energy into the attack to burst it before it could cut into his arms and body. Clearly going on past evaluations of Naruto's skill and experience was not going to be feasible in this situation, and he had to close the distance and get in striking range of the short blade if he wanted to make any headway in this battle.

For his part, Naruto was starting to get a little strained from constantly pumping elemental chakra into a weapon that wasn't designed to handle it and which was starting to fatigue under the stresses. Against an opponent like Neji, however, he couldn't spare the time to form hand seals for one of his more powerful abilities, and there were several tricks and strategies that he didn't want to reveal so early in the game.

Faced with a Hyuuga inside his guard, Naruto let his grip on the sword slacken, dancing just out of reach and wincing anyway when the invisible blades extending from Neji's fingertips cut shallow channels into his flesh. It was more of an annoyance than any real danger, though if he took too many there would be a cumulative effect resulting in an eventual bleed-out. Stepping back from a palm strike aimed at his chest, fingers came together in the proper configuration to spawn a trio of shadow clones.

Shunting chakra into his eyes to watch his flanks and rear while focusing on the real Naruto, Neji resumed the attack, finding difficulty in actually landing blows as long as the clones were interfering. The one to his rear threw a pair of kunai with the speed of a jounin; quick reaction from Neji sent the blades careening into the flankers instead, dispersing them with a splash of blood that vanished as readily as the clones from which it had been spilled.

Grinning and sweating from the exertions, the blond stepped inside Neji's guard in the exact same way that Hinata had in their fight against each other; instead of delivering an elbow that he figured Neji would be ready for, Naruto opted for a rising knee to the gut and then a hammer blow to the upper spine. The combination folded Neji and staggered him. Not to be deterred the older teen grabbed Naruto around the waist in a decidedly unorthodox (for a Hyuuga) manner, using the advantages of size and weight to lift his foe up and into a reverse piledriver that set the viewers into hysterics of excitement.

Amidst the gathered throng, Tsunade—under an advanced change—bit her lip with disquiet at the way Naruto lay on the field, stunned by the move that Neji had pulled on him. She relaxed but only slightly when he kicked up and to his feet, lashing out at his adversary with a spinning axe kick that, inelegant though it may be, delivered enough power to crater the ground where Neji had been standing.

"Conniving little bitch," Neji sneered in a moment of emotional openness.

"Don't you just hate me?" Naruto fixed an insufferable grin to his face and then whipped his hands through a set of seals. "Wind Release: Air Pulse!" Thrusting his hands forward and letting go of the chakra he'd been building up, Naruto expanded the volume of air in front of him considerably, creating a temporary updraft strong enough to actually _pull_ instead of _push_. Like a miniature tornado it spun around the field, chasing Neji as its creator guided it after the other genin.

It was of short duration, of course, and petered out after only a minute but it was a good display of the capabilities that he was holding back. The sneer deepened into disgust, and Neji decided that the time for holding back was over. Feinting twice, on the third movement he didn't draw back, accepting the knife hand to the shoulder so he could jab his fingers into the tenketsu points on Naruto's arms, locking them tight.

This was the moment he'd been waiting for. The pain he could deal with, the numbness in his limbs not so much as he endured the full onslaught of the Sixty-Four Heavenly Palms. Internally Naruto was glad that Tsunade wasn't around to see this, as the blood he was spitting up might send her into regression concerning her phobia. Though the injuries staggered him, Naruto was pleased that the plan was working so well; purposefully falling backwards his head hit the arena floor and left stars in his vision. At the moment he couldn't hear very well, Neji saying something about not being able to fight his fate.

Deactivating his Byakugan, Neji turned to Genma, who was about to signal the Hyuuga as the winner when the debris from Naruto's earlier missed kick shifted and pounced, changing into a fourth clone that was now holding a kunai to Neji's neck. The real Naruto in the meantime briefly switched the chakra running through his body to restore control of his limbs, shutting off the flow from the fox before he noticed anything unusual.

"Three little words, Neji, and I let you keep your dignity."

"I'll never say them. Not for you, not for anyone." Why Naruto was up and moving didn't matter. The knife to his throat didn't matter. Success was the only option. Pulsing his chakra, Neji threw the clone off and spun to face Naruto, who was on his feet again and generating yet more clones. A full platoon's worth filled the arena, surrounding Neji and each armed with kunai and shuriken held ready to launch.

"Fire!" As one the clones unleashed their barrage upon Neji, forcing a response. Eyes going into overdrive again, he spun in place, shielding himself with a rotating barrier emanating from his body to deflect each and every one of the projectiles harmlessly away. "Oh that's just _cheating,_ Neji!"

"No it isn't!" He was _not_ going to get into a shouting match with the Uzumaki brat.

"It totally is!"

"The word 'cheating' is not in a shinobi's vocabulary!"

"Bullshit it isn't! Alright, if you want to play with shields, I'm going to play with swords!" Diving for the discarded implement Naruto rolled out of Neji's grasp and threw the weapon up into the air, where it multiplied into ten, then fifty, then a hundred and further on as it traveled skyward. As gravity reasserted itself and they began to fall back to the ground point-first, Naruto grinned. "Ninja art: Sword Rain!"

Scoffing at the attempt of yet another ranged attack, Neji raised his arms and cycled through the perfect barrier that was the Hyuuga clan's ultimate defensive strategy, bursting the cloned swords left and right. Most of them landed in the ground or bounced semi-harmlessly, at least one settling at Neji's feet as he ended his rotation. Picking it up in his hands and raising it for a charge, he found the sword replaced with a very agitated cat.

Flailing madly, Neji gave it every effort to dislodge the crazed feline from his head, amidst shouts of panic and rage. Naruto on the other hand stood there laughing his ass off, bent double at the waist. "I told you, three words and you keep your dignity, and you chose to ignore me. Last chance, Neji!"

"I – ow – will not – damn it – say those words!"

"Suit yourself!" Forming shadow clones for the last time, Naruto charged, two of them catching his distracted enemy with sharp spiral kicks that sent him flying, to be rebounded into the air by the third, and then volleyball spiked straight into the ground by the original Uzumaki himself. Stunned by the assault, Neji lay there breathlessly, rolling onto his stomach and _almost_ making it to his feet before Genma finished the ten-count.

It was not to be, though. As Genma finished announcing the final digit in the count, the stresses of combat caught up with Neji, and he sank to his knees again. Amidst the cheers and roars of the crowd, Naruto let the clones vanish one by one, and offered his shoulder to Neji to help him back into a standing position. Grudgingly the elder Hyuuga took it, knowing he had to be diplomatic about his loss.

"I promised Hinata I wasn't going to mess you up too much," he whispered to Neji.

"Don't let it go to your head, Uzumaki. Next time I will defeat you."

"Any time you want to try, I'm game. Let's just keep it secret from Hinata. She'd kill us both."

"Without hesitation," Neji agreed.

* * *

Platitudes to his host aside, the plan had not faltered in the slightest, and in fact had gained a wonderful opportunity. Few if any in the stands would ever get the chance to become the young man's acquaintances, let alone friends, but connections could be made all the same. People looked up to those stronger than them even if that hero worship was tempered by spite and old hatred.

More and more threads went out, attaching effortlessly to the men and women who had changed and begun expressing admiration for the blond seal carrier. The original strategy was still in place, and was coming to fruition nicely.

* * *

It had all gone to hell when Sasuke attempted genjutsu on Gaara. The fight had gone well enough at first, Lee's advice to the young Uchiha the day before providing some benefit; Sasuke had faced worse opponents before, though not any with such omnipresent reach and offensive capability. The sand pouring from Gaara's gourd was wielded as effectively as any staff or blade, forcing distance between the two combatants while allowing Gaara to stay completely immobile.

After determining that speed and raw power wouldn't work (and leaving Naruto among others to wonder when it was that Sasuke got so fast) and not wanting to provoke Gaara into walling himself off, Sasuke had settled for a different tactic. Supposedly the Sand shinobi was equivalent to a jounin in strength if not rank and should have been able to break the spell; however, as Sasuke cast the genjutsu, Gaara had…smiled, head lolling forward as he fell asleep and began snoring. And that's when the sand started to envelop him.

Right about the same time feathers of light began to fall from the sky, or so it seemed, and the spectators began to fall into an induced slumber, one by one, then in groups and then in whole waves. Former and active ninja who could do so broke the genjutsu's hold quickly, and as the sand coving Gaara from the chest down began to grow into a larger mass, an explosion blew a hole in the wall of the stadium, accompanied by several others within the city and along the outer wall. A few of the Leaf who had shaken off the wide-area effect were moving through the crowd, reviving people that could help fight, while others drew weapons to fight off the masked ninja wearing the robes and headbands of Sound.

Inside the locker room and waiting area Neji and Shikamaru had helped to rouse their fellows, and met up with Genma to receive orders. Among the stands several real ANBU clashed with their false counterparts, trying to draw the fighting away from the civilians or barring that eliminate the infiltrators—several of the spectators were in fact enemy soldiers—before they could cause too much harm.

Gaara, or rather the beast he contained, was as the body grew trampling through Konoha, headed for the western forest for no real discernable reason other than perhaps wanting to grow to maximum size first in order to optimize the amount of destruction it could cause. Giving chase once he was awake, Naruto detoured around Baki, the Sand jounin fighting Genma without much success. Making for the breach with Shikamaru and Sakura close behind they were suddenly stopped by Kankuro and Temari.

"Out of our way, Temari! We're not going to let that monster get any bigger!" To emphasize his point, Naruto placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, glaring at the woman who dared block his path.

"You've got it all wrong, Naruto!" she pleaded with him. "Shukaku wasn't part of the plan! Don't hurt Gaara, it's not his fault!"

"What plan?" Shikamaru demanded impatiently. Naruto used the moment to push past, pouring energy into his legs to cross large spans with every leap and bound. He had to catch Gaara and couldn't spare any time to argue or get into a protracted battle. Along the way he started generating clones, sending them back into the city with orders to find and escort civilians to safety and fight only if there was no other choice.

He was being followed, both by his friends, and by the two Sand ninja whose concern for their brother overrode any desire to make war with the people that were supposed to be their allies. Kankuro was more talkative as they ran, following the path of destruction left in the monster's wake. It didn't sit well with the Leaf shinobi, who had accepted the Sand into their village as potential allies; the marked shift in the Kazekage's behavior had started just a month ago, strange ambitions and a dangerous plan being formulated.

At the same time he'd grown distant and cold to his children, even more than previously or was normal for a leader in harsh conditions such as the desert he ruled over. For gains that they couldn't be sure of, Sand had formed a partnership with the unknown factor that was Sound for the sole purpose of invading the Leaf. No mention had been made of the end objective from such an act, and if the plan failed as it was sure to with things going out of control like this, it could mean another war.

"The only way to break Shukaku's hold on Gaara is to wake him up. The beast feeds him nightmares so he doesn't sleep well. The few times he's actually rested we've had to restrain him in an underground prison. Everyone is afraid because of the demon he carries—"

"So he's got a monster sealed inside him, too?" Naruto inquired without hesitation. "And don't tell me, nobody loved him so he shut himself off…"

"How could you know that?" The similarities were obvious, Sakura thought, only unlike Naruto, Gaara didn't get the advantage of people to look past the demon he carried and see the person holding it at bay. No wonder he'd turned out so…freaky. Shikamaru, on the other hand, realized he'd just been told two S-class secrets in less than an hour and saw his chances of survival dwindle rapidly.

"I've got the Nine-Tails. So all I have to do is wake him up, right? And that'll stop Shukaku from forming?"

"That's right, but hurry! If he grows any larger then he won't relinquish control!"

"I've got just the thing. I couldn't find a use for it lately…better cover your ears." Pushing down hard, Naruto focused and took a deep breath, about to pull out a simple, silly trick that was devised to chase down beasts just like this one. Then just to make it better, he guided wind chakra from the air around him, puffing up as large as he could before yelling out mightily. "GAARA! I GOT YOUR SISTER PREGNANT!" The noise resonated through the forest, and even with their ears covered the others heard it rattling around inside their skulls.

Gaara and Temari's heads both snapped towards Naruto at the same time, abject horror spreading across their features, and then for Gaara, pure unadulterated fury.

"He what…?" the redhead muttered to himself as Shukaku began to dissolve and he came out of his Sasuke-induced stupor. "He _**WHAT?**__"_

"He _what_?" Temari repeated needlessly. Sakura palmed her forehead and prepared to fight again.

"Damn it, Naruto!" Heedless of the imminent danger that would result if he allowed Shukaku to completely disintegrate beneath him, Gaara fixed his eyes on Naruto's position. The Armor of Sand dissipated, the gourd fell away forgotten, and with a bloodcurdling scream he launched himself after the blond.

"Uh oh." Seeing the predicament, Naruto started off back towards Konoha, running as fast as his legs could carry him. Gaara was in hot pursuit, intent on wringing Naruto's neck himself, Temari and Sakura keeping up without much trouble either, shouting for Gaara not to kill him because they wanted a turn.

Kankuro turned to Shikamaru, shaking his head in disbelief. "Where does he hide those massive balls of his?"

Before he could reply another shout echoed through the forest. "We've gotta find the old man!"

* * *

Sending another ninja wearing the emblem of Sound to join the first two, Tsunade brushed her palms together and looked around the empty street. Most of the fighting was centered near the stadium and administrative district, though quite a few ninja teams had been dispersed through the city to wreak general havoc and tie up the defenders chasing them down.

More than a few of Konoha's better warriors had been occupied in holding off the assault from a summon, a giant snake that was all too familiar to the retired ninja. Shizune's arrival in Konoha had been later than hoped, though still in time to be of help. It depleted her reserves of poisons but the snake had been defeated with minimal losses, which was good; the bad side to it was that now they had to fight the invaders hand to hand.

By now they were going through the city systematically, hunting down the enemy infiltrators and giving them the option of surrender. The stubborn ones got beaten to a pulp. The _really_ stubborn ones were gifted with coffins. As more and more of the chuunin and city guard realized that they had a Sannin assisting them, spirits rose and resolve quickened; sketchy reports were coming in that the Kazekage that had been in attendance at the stadium was actually an impostor and that a duel was now raging on the stadium's roof, confined by a barrier.

Tsunade had other concerns, at the moment. There were still plenty of civilians that hadn't managed to be evacuated in time that required protection, and not enough ninja teams to escort them all. Then there were the injuries that were beginning to pile up, the hospitals unable to handle them all. At this rate, Tsunade felt she may have to give up the battle and recruit volunteers to help with the wounded. And worst of all she heard whispers that it was the Hokage who was locked in the duel, that he was losing badly to his opponent.

If her suspicions were correct, and she had no reason to doubt herself…Konoha was playing host to a reunion party for the legendary Sannin, and oh what a party it was. Torn between needing to aid in the defense of Konoha's residents and wanting to go help her teacher, Tsunade could not decide between the two. Seeing the indecision on her mentor's face Shizune told her to go, run to Sarutobi's side and make sure he didn't die. She could handle things here.

As she ran along to reach the stadium, employing intermittent body flickers to increase the speed of her travel, Tsunade saw something odd. The ninja wearing Sand insignia were being intercepted by runners and told to stand down on pain of exile. A few were reluctant to obey the order but most that she passed were already under guard, handing over their weapons peacefully. It was a good sign for the future of relations between the two villages. Whoever was really responsible for this assault, however, would not get off so easily.

Ahead lay the stadium, and as she approached the dark shimmer of a negative energy barrier was clearly visible. Four points, a good strong defense and likely anyone who tried to breach it directly would be consumed by dark fire and killed rather quickly. The barrier was being maintained by ninja, obviously, each protected by half a dozen other fighters. But every barrier had a weakness. Dropping down onto the main avenue and dashing onto the arena floor, Tsunade was surprised and quite relieved to see Naruto running through a large hole in the wall, fleeing for his life.

Not quite fast enough as the sight of the barrier sapped his speed until a trio of figures tackled him, Gaara shouting obscenities as he shoot the blond underneath him, Temari and Sakura working vainly to pull him off. Temari was saying something about Naruto not being serious; she didn't care. Striding up to them she cast a stern shadow and an imposing figure (with the aid of a little alteration technique), pointing a finger at the menacing vessel for the One-Tailed beast. "You, get off my boyfriend, now."

Startled back into a modicum of control, Gaara's grip relaxed enough for the girls to finally succeed in pulling him away from Naruto, who wheezed out a weak word of thanks. Sufficiently rebuked Gaara looked for the first corner he could sit in, looking up at the stands where the officials had been situated to watch the finals.

His voice was back to its normal half-whisper when he lifted his eyes to Tsunade to ask "Is father alive?" As Naruto got to his feet he became aware of his roommate and by her definition girlfriend lifting him by the collar, showing him the field. As for Gaara she had no answers and simply shrugged, stating that they'd know soon enough.

"Is the Hokage in there? We've got to go help him! Let go!"

"Not so fast, Naruto! Damn you're lucky that I was watching the broadcast. That barrier will shred you if you go near it! But I think I may have a plan."

"Hurry up already! The old man's in trouble!"

"And we're going to go help him, but we've got to get in from underneath without hurting us and him in the process so listen good." Sparing a glance over to the Sand trio she beckoned for Sakura and then Shikamaru who appeared at a most leisurely pace considering the danger. Baki showed up looking a little ragged, escorted by a white-haired ANBU in a wolf mask, and proceeded to check on his students.

Outlining a quick plan to the Leaf ninja who had survived the onslaught she put it into motion without hesitation, trusting the ANBU operative to be capable of handling a few noncombatants. Just to be safe though she took their weapons and sealed them in a scroll that she promised to give back once the fighting was over and proper guilt could be determined; then, with her forces in tow Tsunade entered the building directly beneath the chosen dueling ground.

As hoped the force field didn't extend down through the roof and into the structure below, meaning that it could be penetrated. With very precise movements, Tsunade punched her way up through several floors, and then made a hole up onto the very apex of the observation deck. She couldn't stop Naruto from being the first one through, not even if she'd wanted to. The anguished cry tore through her heart and resounded through the city.

Four elite ninja of the Sound heard his voice from within the shroud of darkness they were maintaining, and briefly faltered.

Men and women shrouded in the feathered slumber rose to their feet with red-eyed glares of vast and terrible intent.

And the invasion fell apart.

* * *

Little was said about the aftermath. None spoke of the crimson-irised terrors that rampaged through the city, annihilating anyone that wore the emblem of Sound. No mention was made that the enemy who orchestrated the attack managed to escape, at the cost of several pawns and plants within Konoha. The surrender of the so-called Sound Four in the wake of their abandonment was accepted with little fanfare, their transfer to holding cells done quickly and quietly; they would eventually be released, after having their curse marks and ninja abilities sealed (as they had not actively participated in any battles).

Memory of the fight that claimed Kabuto Yakushi as a casualty of war did not exist. There were no witnesses and no record. Nor was there any import given to the short-lived rampage that ended with the near-total annihilation of Orochimaru's forces. It was classified as an emergency militia response, filed away in a drawer deep in the archives, and never spoken of again.

Konoha had suffered heavy damage in the fighting and though most of the civilian population had been spared, homes and businesses had not. Rebuilding would take months at best. Temporary homes were set up, and those clans whose holdings had been spared opened their doors to refugees. Sand's involvement was not overlooked, but the consequences were lessened severely due to the fact that they were given orders under false pretenses. Both Konoha and Suna had lost their leaders on the same day and neither side felt like escalating the conflict in admission of this fact. Sanctions were made, but not pursued. Too much had been sacrificed.

Naruto hated the rain in November. It always made him think he was drowning beneath an endless sea of clouds, stifling any and all creativity and dragging him into a funk that was difficult to get out of. Today, he hated the rain for a different reason: it shrouded the bitter sorrow he felt gnawing at his heart as he stood stone-like at the forefront of the mourners.

"The old man should be remembered in sunlight," he heard himself murmuring, ignorant of the eulogy being offered by one of Konoha's councilmen, when the service should really have been given by a fellow ninja, such as one of his students, or a member of his family or hell even those he fought beside in his final moments. Head bowed, Naruto's eyes slid over to Konohamaru, not even bothering to stifle his feelings, crying openly into his tutor's formal wear in total ignorance of how childish it looked.

He didn't blame him. Naruto felt like crying himself. But could he, really? The time for tears was over; the old man had told him that. "Shed no tears for me," he'd said as the last breaths faded from him. "Remember me as I lived and honor that with strength and silence." Screw that noise. He had his own strength and it demanded that he make his thoughts known. And besides, he wouldn't be the only one.

At his side, Tsunade knelt in the wet grass, the black kimono thoroughly soaked by the rain, gingers bunched up in the cloth for want of something more physical to vent her grief on. Crouching down beside her, Naruto guided her head into his lap and stroked her back consolingly, letting the droplets of moisture he shed mingle with the rain that fell onto the woman's face. Her voice didn't carry, she didn't wail or cry out, respecting her old master that much at least.

When the memorial concluded men and women began to filter away from the cemetery and the obsidian monument that contained Hiruzen's ashes, until eventually only Tsunade and Naruto were left sitting in the downpour. He didn't really feel like leaving—there was no home to return to anyway. It had been smashed in the attack and taken everything he owned with it save for the reserves of cash that he kept at Sakura's home. If he had any consolation it was that Miyuki and her newborn were in good health.

That didn't change the fact that they were homeless now, too, just like him. There were plans to rebuild, but until then… Staying in the tent city might have to suffice. Naruto's only real option was the strange key that he'd gotten in the mail the night before his birthday, coupled to an address and a deed of ownership. Whichever door it unlocked was likely to be broken down as well, and that only added to the weight in his heart.

Might as well see where it leads. "Come on, Tsunade. We should go. If you got sick I'd never forgive myself. We'll come back another day when it's sunny, and share a drink with him." That managed to rouse her and shakily she got to her feet, looking town to Naruto and seeing that he was just as reluctant to leave but couldn't justify staying any longer. "There's something I want to check out, anyway."

For once nobody bothered him as he made his way through the streets. Even on a day like this business had to continue, though it was muted due to the state of the city and the palpable sense of despair hanging on every word that he passed close enough to hear. Konoha was leaderless, drifting on a sea of uncertainty once again. It had only been thirteen years since the last time they had lost the guiding force in their lives and now without any successors in line, the future was shrouded in darkness.

The address led to a boarded-up gate beyond which stood a two-story house with a small and overgrown garden, and a back yard large enough to hold several trees. The wood was easily smashed and the key inserted into the gate's lock. The flash of chakra being released alerted him to a seal being broken and Naruto silently pushed on the iron, listening for the squeak of rust and hearing nothing. It was the work of preservation techniques, most likely. A few of the wealthier citizens who endured long periods abroad and didn't have the need for weekly housekeeping services sometimes invested in sutras that would essentially seal their residence the same way he might a weapon or valuable item.

His mystery key unlocked the front door as well, though he was disappointed to find only basic furnishings inside as he explored the cold space beyond. Who gives someone a house as a birthday present anyway? Dimly aware of footsteps behind him, he turned to see Tsunade standing in the door, uncaring that she was dripping everywhere. He needed to find the heat and turn it on.

"I expected that key to open a safe, not a house. That solves one problem, then."

"Somehow I feel like I don't belong here. It smells, and there aren't any pictures to tell me who lived here before. It's like I'm stealing, almost." Finding a thermostat he switched on the heat, becoming intimately aware of how thoroughly soaked both he and Tsunade were. The application of lights, and a quick foray into the closets turned up some cotton robes, at least, and as the house warmed up the two changed into them, hanging the formal kimonos in the bathroom to dry.

"The smell is from the residual chakra. It isn't meant to last forever and eventually time catches up to the contents."

"Like the expiration date on a can of tuna."

"Close enough. Even at its weakest, though, a seal of this type offers some level of protection. You'd have to ask someone else who knows them better, though."

"How do we do it, Tsunade? How do we go from bawling our guts out to talking about seals and old houses that by rights I shouldn't even be in? Where does it all add up?"

"Sometimes it doesn't, Naruto. Sometimes there are no answers. This is one of those times when we just have to keep moving forward, however painful it is."

"It sucks. It fucking sucks!" Angrily, Naruto kicked a chair over, wincing as it clattered aside. Frowning he picked the chair up and set it on its legs again. "And now I'm assaulting furniture. How mature of me." Sitting in the seat he'd knocked over his head slumped into his arms, folded on the table. "This place is too big for me."

"Loan out the rooms. Your team could stay here if you wanted. Everything that happens now is your decision. Like it or not, Naruto, you change lives. It's your choice whether the changes are good or bad."

"I just don't know. I need time to think, okay?"

"Don't take too long. But don't rush into anything, either."

* * *

_From: Shade_

_To: Crow_

_Re: Monkey_

_As of this writing the operative code-named Monkey is no longer in service. The deliberation process is still ongoing to choose his replacement, until then report to me. I'll inform you as soon as I can. If necessary send updates to Frog and he will relay them to us._

_

* * *

_

_From: Crow_

_To: Shade_

_Re: Monkey_

_It grieves me to hear that this has happened. I have news for you. 'Our' latest research indicates that the targets may be enacting some sort of plan. What this plan is we can but guess at as nobody but the carriers can actually talk to the objectives. If you've noticed anything strange about people lately I need to know so I can make sense of this._

_I recommend _against_ having Frog impose a wide-area seal, however; if my suspicions are correct this may only aggravate the situation and the last thing we want is a full-scale war on our hands. Unfortunately the plan has me returning home soon. If effective resistance to our presence is not staged I will be forced to enact the contingency and eliminate the target rather than capturing._

_

* * *

_

_From: Shade_

_To: Crow_

_Re: Homecoming_

_This is unfortunate timing. We recently suffered an attack and our forces are considerably reduced. In light of this I cannot believe that the assault was a mere coincidence. Snake may have seceded from your group but he is apparently still working with them to satisfy his own ends. The steady stream of workers to aid in rebuilding would give us plenty of cover to infiltrate._

_Arrange to have two of your top instructors intercept us. The setback should force a delay in the Rainmaker's designs._

* * *

**What do you plan on doing now? It did not last, but while it did we were of one mind, one body. Shared purpose.**

_I don't ever want to have to do that again. The old—the Hokage would hate me forever if I let you bend me towards destructive ends. I'm not saying I regret what I did. Just that I never want to do it again._

**I can help you protect your precious people like you keep mouthing off about. In fact, I already am. Let me free, and I can do far more.**

_No. I still can't do that. I know what you're up to now, fox; promise me this. Give me your word that you won't make them into things that they aren't, and I won't try to stop you._

**Change is inescapable, boy. Very well, you have my solemn oath. Unsealed as they are they will endure some alteration, some in mind, some in body. Most will not and I swear on my soul that I will not attempt to force it upon them.**

_And no killing. If death can be avoided, take every measure._

**Death is part of life. Let it be so, sentimental monkey.**

* * *

"Can't I have more time with him at least?"

"Do you want Akatsuki to kill him? They're going to come for him first since he's the most dangerous to capture and we're at our most vulnerable."

"You don't know when or if they'll make a move. And if they do he has people here to help him. Taking him away from all that…"

"Alright, fine. It's at least beneficial that all missions are on hold until the reconstruction is complete. That should take several more months, but if I hear even one peep that Akatsuki members have been sighted in Konoha—"

"Fair enough. How's that new house treating you?"

"He's still uncomfortable there. Coming around to being content with it, though. Recovering the calligraphy the Third gave him helped. Can't do anything about the ripped borders, though."

"Ripped borders seems about appropriate given the current situation. You know you're on the list of candidates, right?"

"I'd rather not be, but if it's a choice between myself or Danzo…he means well, I suppose, but if we let him into power it will just result in another war."

"So you'll take the position, then?"

"Only if they vote for me. Otherwise I'm content for a life of quiet obscurity."

"If you do take the job you'll be expected to take on at least one apprentice, maybe more."

"After what's happened lately it was my intention anyway. And I have a few people in mind for that already so I can reject whatever idiots they try to hand me."

"Pink hair and blonde hair?"

"Maybe. If I give away my choices now they'll veto them before I can sign the order."

"You always were the best thinker."

* * *

_To Shikamaru Nara, from the Council of Twelve and the Ninja Regulatory Commission:_

_In light of your performance during the exams and the ensuing battle, this committee finds in you the qualities and skills necessary to warrant advancement through the ranks. This notice certifies that you have been promoted to the rank of chuunin, with all the rights and responsibilities thereof, in hopes that you will continue to carry the Will of Fire and light the path you travel for all who follow._

* * *

He left early in the morning, before first light so as to not disturb the other residents of the home that had been bequeathed to him by names withheld. It felt like only yesterday, but in truth a whole year had passed since his graduation from the academy. Much had happened in that time. Friends made, enemies beaten, challenges overcome.

Circumstances required his departure, and it gripped his heart with ice to think that simply by being there he was endangering all he cared for, everyone he loved. The silly promise was still on his lips, unsure why he'd made it to begin with. Gripping the necklace she'd given him, concealing the green crystal in his palm, he gave one last look to the city of Konoha. Keeping the chair warm for him, she'd said, until he could come and claim it for himself, so get strong and wise and hurry back home.

Rebuilding was almost complete, and though those "Akatsuki" were forcing him to flee, he'd left the foundations of a legacy in his home. Names and faces flashed through his mind as he met the stern visage of the hermit he called "master", inscrutable in the pre-dawn twilight. Everyone had been left with a gift, some a gift of material goods, some a gift of techniques that he hoped to pass on someday, all with the memory of his friendship to them.

With one last glance over his shoulder, Naruto left Konoha behind.


	12. Letters

_To Tsunade, Fifth Hokage of the village of Konoha:_

_Just writing to let you know the pervy sage hasn't killed me yet, though he's damn sure trying. Apparently Gaara's still a little sore over that joke I told him, but he was at least diplomatic about our presence in Suna._

_Technically we're not really visiting as official emissaries and more as private travelers; I couldn't resist the chance to try and patch things up a bit. It's surprising that they made someone the same age as me Kazekage. He's good at the job, though, especially now that he sleeps better at night. Putting the people first and all that._

_Kankuro insisted on sending a present for Ibuki so make sure the squirt gets it, he also wants to know when the hell Temari is coming back. Don't forget to say hi to the lovebirds for me._

_I'll send another letter when I can._

_

* * *

_

_Naruto,_

_I hope this letter finds you soon. On the move as you are I don't know if or when any of my messages will reach you, but I'll write them anyway. Part of me aches for you to return, and I hold a piece of you next to my heart every day._

_The 'lovebirds' as you so eloquently put it are doing well, both pairs of them, though there's steadfast denial on the part of at least one of them. Ibuki likes the present, and I'm keeping the house in good order for you. Still haven't figured out who it used to belong to, making progress on that has been difficult with all the other duties I have now._

_Do you have any tips on keeping Sakura and Ino from fighting constantly so they can focus on my lessons?_

_

* * *

_

_Dearest Hinata,_

_My heart was filled with worry when news reached Wave of the attack on your home, and I am relieved that you were not involved in the danger. I wish I could help with the rebuilding efforts but I fear I may be persona non grata if I were ever to visit. Even so you're welcome to come to my own home whenever you wish, and I would cherish any vacation you took in our humble town._

_Your fortune is rubbing off on me, it seems, as today I have met someone who is quite skilled at my craft and a good talker besides. That is an area I am still lacking in, making conversation. I endeavor to make friends as often as possible, though, and have a few people I can count on now._

_You'll get the photos next time._

_Much love,_

_Kagami_

_

* * *

_

_Beloved Kagami,_

_I've heard that the attitude toward ninja in Wave has cooled slightly and I may visit soon. I don't wish to impose too heavily on your generosity as I would be bringing a guest along (that love I spoke of to you before) provided I can break her from her studies long enough to make the journey. Jewelry from Wave always sells quite highly and I was thinking of picking some up straight from the source._

_A ring, perhaps, for my lover._

_The other love which I held dear has gone, and where I cannot say. There was an attempt on his life and not wishing to drag us into it, he has left us behind. Maybe he has reasons for it, but I wish he had given the chance to say goodbye. His home (both the house and the city) suffer without him, though we try to hide it from each other._

_I hope you and this new partner of yours become friends, so you do not languish without affection for too long. And about the photographs: I look forward to adding them to my album._

_Ever thinking of you,_

_Hinata_

_

* * *

_

_From: the Rookie Nine (minus one)_

_To: the missing member_

_Sorry for the long letter, Naruto, but all of your classmates decided to send you their sentiments at the same time so nobody would miss getting a chance to talk to you. I won't waste any more space on introductions. –Kakashi_

_Don't spend too long having adventures without us, you dummy! –Chouji_

_Konoha eagerly awaits your return. –Shino_

_It's too quiet without you, Naruto. Hurry back so I can have something to complain about again. If I grouse too loudly, Lady Tsunade throws a wall at me. –Shikamaru_

_Guess who made chuunin! –Ino_

_I'm making Hinata go last because she's going to write some mushy stuff for you that she wants sealed so only you can read it. I've been a jerk sometimes—calling you dead last the least of my offenses—and I'm working to be a better ninja so I can keep Konoha safe in your stead. Don't keep us waiting too long. There's only one person worthy of being my rival and he belongs with his friends. –Sasuke_

_You sure showed us a thing or two, huh? Everyone's striving to get better because of you, and I don't mean just your ninja buddies. I'd tell you how big Akamaru's gotten but it has to be seen or else you'd never believe me, so here's a picture. Don't lose it because I'm not gonna send another one. –Kiba_

_Things are going well here but there's still a hole where nobody else can fit. I'm not really that good at expressing my feelings so just remember that we all love you. Working under Lady Tsunade is difficult yet rewarding, and the things I learn from her help me be a better doctor. I'm even teaching my parents a thing or two! –Sakura_

_I have to tell you the truth. I think I love Sakura more than you. I still have plenty of love to go around (just ask Kagami (and yes, Sakura knows about her and is okay with it)) and I have always loved you when I thought no one else ever would. Now that I have someone to compare it against I find that what I feel for you is…diminished. But it's still there and won't ever leave, and someday I want to be the mother of an Uzumaki. I had to make a choice. I never knew if you loved me and was too afraid to ask, so when Sakura came forward…I gave my heart to her. I hope you can understand and not be jealous. –Hinata_

_

* * *

_

_To the Rookie Nine, from your missing member_

_Thank you for the sentiments, Kakashi-sensei. They really mean a lot to me, to hear that everyone still cares. I won't ask how you figured out which town to send it to, as Ero-Sennin here had to spend some time in one place to mail out the next manuscript and get his payment from the publisher. I'll try my best to reply to each of you._

_Chouji: Adventures? Hah! I'm working my ass off!_

_Shino: I never did get you, but I'm glad that you're feeling just as lonely without me._

_Shikamaru: I'll be sure to include you in my big homecoming prank rather than make you one of the targets. We should play shogi sometime once I'm home. And yeah, watch out for those walls. My lovely flower has thorns._

_Ino: Congratulations on getting promoted! Now get everyone else to do it, too!_

_Sasuke: It makes me glad to hear you say those things, though I forgave you long ago. I just wanted you to see for yourself how you were hurting people, and now that you've moved past it I'm more than happy to be your friend, too. You make a good rival, so do your best to stay strong in mind and body so I don't thrash you too easily. Make sure my family stays safe._

_Kiba: Goddamn, what are you feeding that dog? Any more and he'll be bigger than my house! In all seriousness it's good you're doing so well. Don't let Sasuke needle you too much, alright?_

_Sakura: You've always had a kind heart and sharing it with others just makes it even better. I can't imagine that being a doctor is easy, but the rewards must be tremendous. Hope to see you open your own clinic someday, although I suspect your parents want you to settle down and take over so they can retire to the coast or something. Keep up the good work and take care of Tsunade for me._

_Hinata: I'm glad that my teammates have found love, and you're right, I never acknowledged what you felt towards me, nor confirmed it. Like an idiot I didn't even know it was there until it was gone. My heart lifts to hear that you have someone else to share it with, and man or woman you will always be a source of contentment for your partner. That it is Sakura you've given your love to doesn't worry me. All I want out of you is not to lose it. Funny enough my heart belongs to someone else, too, but I'll always love my team. You guys are my family._

_To all of you: Try to find Iruka-sensei a girlfriend. He needs one._

_

* * *

_

_To my angel:_

_I'm forced to write in code lately because of a particular society beginning to become active again, and also to keep the damn watchdogs from reading my mail. My wish for you to return sooner rather than later has not changed, though is amended. If only I could have sent a sending scroll along with you, to make correspondence easier._

_Another birthday has come and gone, and you step further into manhood without me there to share in the experience, which doesn't sit well with me at all. Learning how to delegate and shuffle so the next time you run off you're taking me with you. You'd be proud to see the city now. While it looks like it did before the attack, some scars still remain, on the land and on our spirits. But you'd be proud; we're now more closely knit than ever before and anyone who dares test us now will not like the consequences._

_Winter is coming and yet spirits are blooming. I expect I'll be getting asked to preside over a slew of weddings once you return. Nobody wants to say it but the belief is that there is another war in the works, like the gears of a clock slowly moving the hands toward midnight. Every hour you can move the hands back helps us all, gives us hope that the storm will pass us by without touching us._

_

* * *

_

_Sweet lily of mine:_

_I understand the need for discretion, seeing as how I'm often entering towns under cover and under disguise. Constantly on the move lately, making it hard to get letters and I don't know how many I've missed. You'll just have to give them all to me when I get home. Sending scrolls would be a waste; I like keeping the ones I do get and a scroll like that erases the old text for the new._

_Traveling companion aside I'm managing to stay more or less celibate so you get me all to yourself when I get home. I say more or less because despite my best efforts sometimes I get women thrust at me and my _other_ traveling companion insists I take advantage of the opportunity. Sometimes I wish they both had an off switch on their sex drives._

_Taking precautions so there aren't any girls coming after me claiming I'm their baby's daddy. Only person I want enjoying that privilege is you. Little Tiger-eyes wants it from me, but not without your say-so. Maybe you could figure out a way for her to have kids with her lover so she doesn't have to come after me?_

_I wish I could take some of the workload off of your hands. Try using a couple clones and see how well that works out. More of you equals less paperwork equals more time for other things._

_Apparently other nations are worried of war as well. If rain wants to fall, let it. It'll find itself discarded from our rooftops and diverted harmlessly down our gutters. Spending so long away from you hurts me more than I can articulate._

_When I come I'm keeping that promise._

_Wish everyone well for me._

_

* * *

_

_From: Frog_

_To: Heron_

_Forget trying to keep him in one piece, what about me? He gets unruly when he's frustrated, angry or otherwise distressed, especially lately, and that necklace of yours can only hold him at bay for so long. Given his age I've prescribed some extracurricular activities to help relieve the tensions but he's just too devoted to you to let go. I'm afraid you've corrupted him for life. Lately whenever he can't worm his way out of it, he lets his partner take over. Nobody's died as a result. Yet. _

_It might be a good idea to stop throwing women at him because his partner isn't quite as concerned about safety, and out here in the country preventative medicine is hard to come by. You can punish me for my indiscretions later—I was just trying to keep him from going berserk. Lot of good that did me._

_He doesn't seem to like the idea of trying to control his partner so much as…sharing a mind, being a singular entity instead of two distinct individuals that happen to share a single body. I honestly don't know how to handle this one._

_

* * *

_

_From: Heron_

_To: Frog_

_I may have a solution to that. The Cat and Ox sent a letter recently asking if we could send Fox to them for training. It may just be an attempt to gain a hostage to use against us but whatever helps him out helps us out. And besides if they try to actually keep him… Remember that story you told me about his seventh birthday?_

_One more thing: you'd better pray that there aren't any little Foxes running around in a few years or else he won't be the one I'm neutering. Find a place to stay and I'll send Cat and Ox to pick you up, but I'd better get weekly reports or I'm sending a full retrieval squad after you. I agree to this only as long as he stays dominant._

_

* * *

_

_From: Fox_

_To: Heron_

_I'm not used to sending letters this way, it's pretty weird but Frog says I have to start._

_Training is going well so far, I guess. Ox is weird as hell but a good guy once you get to know him. The downside is I think Cat likes me. As in likes me. I'm not going to do anything without your acceptance. I run a chance of having her tie me down at this rate, and I definitely don't want that to happen. Don't really want her waiting for me in my tent either, less so if she's naked. (Not that she isn't pretty, but she makes Anko look downright subtle.)_

_Afraid I won't have any gifts for the family for awhile. Take care._

_

* * *

_

_From: Heron_

_To: Fox_

_Do whatever you have to do to avoid a diplomatic incident. And make up for it later. Keep focused on your training, stay calm, and you'll pull through._

_The family wants you home, so do your best to hurry._

_

* * *

_

_From: Fox_

_To: Heron_

_Why didn't anyone tell me? WHY didn't anyone FUCKING TELL ME? I'm not mad at you, not at them for what they did, what I'm mad at is…that everyone thought I'd be safer, better off not knowing. Like they thought knowing would make me feel entitled or something. Maybe it was the right move, maybe it wasn't, but I shouldn't have to find out about my goddamn parents from the one who killed them and the messages they left for me._

_Sorry. I shouldn't be ranting at you. No matter what he's done in the past he's part of me now, sworn to aid me. The mistakes of the past shouldn't hold me back from making a future we can all be proud of._

_Listen to me, I sound just like my dad. I think I take more after mom, though. I still have a lot of training before I've fully mastered this newborn self, though now it's all just a matter of time before I can come home._

…_Why does everyone want my babies?_

_

* * *

_

_From: Heron_

_To: Fox_

_You'll have to ask Frog about that. I wasn't part of the decision-making process that ended up with you in that situation. Every rumor I heard told me you were dead. The Leaf's dirty little secret. If I had been around I would've raised you myself, but I think I work better for you as a lover than a mother._

_As long as you can manage to deal with the situation I think you'll be okay. You come from a strong family and you've built an even stronger one. Between everything you've done already and everything you can still do, the future's looking pretty bright. My prayers are that you won't need to use the powers you're now obtaining, and if you do that you'll use them wisely. A story I read once said the best power is the one you never have to use._

_To that last question, the answer is as plain as the face in the mirror. Like I said before, do whatever it takes to avoid a diplomatic incident. If it means knocking up the Cat, go for it._

_

* * *

_

_From: Fox_

_To: Heron_

_I'm coming home. It's been two years, by God, but I'm coming home. I've said my goodbyes to Cat and Ox (I did end up having to leave a part of myself with Cat in the end); Frog and I are going to pass through and pay a visit to Tanuki and then we're coming straight back, no detours._

_I can't wait to see everyone again. If I missed any letters I hope you kept them for me to read. Hell, we could probably make a whole book out of them. Something to think about for when I'm older, I guess._

_

* * *

_

_To all members of Akatsuki:_

_How could we have made such an oversight? Not once but twice the Nine-Tails slipped right under our noses and we didn't even see it. The spy in Cloud says he's even released the seal on his prisoner and entered into symbiosis with it. This severely jeopardizes our plans. We must rethink our strategy, but the end goal is unchanged._

_We _will_ succeed. Nothing less is acceptable. You know your missions, now go to it. Do not disappoint me._


	13. Home

The middle of September brought the seasonal cooling like always, although compared to some other hidden villages Konoha never really got all that cold. Some said it was due to the geologic activity that provided the various hot springs dotting the city, others said it happened as a fluke of geography and meteorology; whatever the cause it left the month filled with festivals and celebrations and general partying, especially when there was a good harvest.

God above, he hadn't seen this place in two and a half years. It was a shame, really, that he couldn't have arrived sooner but no ninja no matter how fast can cross two nations on foot without at least some time passing. Looking forward to being part of a team again, the gates loomed in his vision, thrust wide to accept all the visitors that would be attending the many festivals held during the month. Seeing the giant symbol for "Fire", even cut in half by the open gates, warmed his heart and without any hesitation he broke into a run, eager to set foot in his hometown again.

Swift on his feet and the weight of the pack on his shoulders forgotten in his exuberance, Naruto braked hard and stood in the avenue just beyond the main entrance to the city, looking at the restored buildings, the festive colors and, in the distance, a new face on the monument. He'd known it for awhile but seeing it helped the reality sink in to depths that mere words could not approach. People were gathering as he drank in the sight, whispering to themselves and looking on in astonishment, awe and suppressed fear.

Shaggy and unruly neck-length blond hair. Eyes as blue as any summer day, slightly flat nose and strong jaw. Long-sleeved trench coat left open over a mesh shirt and high-waisted pants held closed by a thick leather belt, tucked into open-toed boots with thick soles. And the headband of a Leaf ninja, the only accessory anyone was really paying attention to. Whispers began to reach his ears, words such as 'back from the dead' and 'ghost of the Fourth'; before he could correct them a voice broke out from the crowd.

"Naruto? _Naruto, it is you!_" The cheerful cry announced the impending assault before he could find the source, and in a blur of pink and red Naruto suddenly found himself in a crushing hug delivered by a pink-haired woman wearing a red ninja headband and long hair in a tight braid. Recognition dawned on him at the same time as the spectators that were gathering around, thinking that they'd seen a specter and were in fact witnessing his son's return.

Happiness returned and though his ribs groaned in protest, Naruto picked his teammate up and squeezed her back just as tightly, elated to see her again after so long away. Had he really gotten that tall? It must be so because he lifted Sakura clear off her feet effortlessly before setting her down again, following her as she started to walk. "Is that a ring on your hand I see?" A cheeky grin filled his visage, an arm falling onto the woman's shoulder.

"Just an engagement. Oh, everyone is going to be so excited to see you! When you sent that letter everyone thought you'd be home sooner!"

"Er, yeah, sorry about that. Traveling on foot always takes longer than it seems. And the layover in Suna took longer than expected. I've got plenty of stories to tell, as a matter of fact!"

"Oh yeah, where's your teacher at? I was sure he'd be coming with you."

"He said to go on ahead without him. Some lady in a village on the road caught his eye and you know how Jiraiya is. Just can't say no to a pretty face. For that matter neither can I. Hello, Hinata, how long are you going to hide behind that tree?" Sakura gazed up at Naruto in wonder. He'd sensed that?

A shy smile fixed itself on Hinata's face as she peeked out from behind the trunk, working up her courage to skip up to Sakura and kiss her openly in front of her former flame, and then she decided to give him one, too. Repeating the scene with Sakura, Naruto hugged Hinata tightly and then pulled her fiancée into it, too. Thoughts ran through his head and a story line began to emerge; that was filed away for later. The primary impetus for it remained steadfastly at the forefront of his mind.

_Wow, Hinata's stacked now. Not that she wasn't before, but the young lady I knew doesn't even compare. She let her hair grow, too. And Sakura, so strong, much more than she used to be. I've got a lot of catching up to do!_ "I bet everyone's made chuunin by now, or even jounin, huh?" Hinata giggled sweetly and shook her head.

"We all took a vote to refuse promotion until the last man was with us. Oh, Naruto! I worried every time that a letter came back unopened and Sakura practically cried herself to sleep when they did! We always feared you'd been hurt or-or worse and only the ones that came after ever helped calm things down…"

"Getting letters out when you're constantly on the move is tricky business. It'd be pretty handy if I had a messenger hawk or something if not for the limited range." And there was a sour point to his absence. Everyone had changed so much, grown without him being there to be a part of it. There'd be a lot of work ahead of him if he wanted to get used to being part of a group again. The life of a nomad was frequently solitary and sometimes lonely.

"Naruto, there's something you have to know about, from some of the letters that didn't make it to you…" The returned ninja looked at Hinata curiously, seeing her using the old nervous habit he thought had been broken long ago. "When you see the Hokage—I mean, when you see Tsunade, try not to be too shocked. Things have…changed a bit since you've been gone." Perplexed, he followed the two women further, making light conversation, filling in a few details that hadn't been able to be written in his correspondence. The route was familiar: they were heading home, and pausing at the iron gate he took a moment to refamiliarize himself with the view from the street.

The trees in the back yard had grown a little taller, and there was a new sapling serving as an anchor point for the garden that now occupied one half of the front yard. Grass was kept neatly trimmed and the old wooden plank path had been replaced with red cobblestones lined with decorative wire fencing, painted white to match the blossoms growing around the sapling. The house itself had been repainted, a vibrant blue accentuated by forest green shutters and a dark shingle roof. About the only thing that hadn't changed was the mahogany door with the slightly soiled brass fittings, though a new copper-plated knocker had been installed, modeled after the head of a fox.

Stepping up to the door, he found his key still fit the lock and slowly Naruto turned it, pushing the door open uncertainly. Familiar voices filtered to his ears from the various rooms that had in the months he'd been there been filled with pictures of his friends, the people he called family; stepping over the threshold Naruto stood just inside the door, lifting his own in greeting.

"I'm home!" Sakura and Hinata echoed his words, standing behind him as he strode deeper into the hallway, smiling contentedly. Someone who he wanted to see greatly called out from the library to declare herself to the ladies, asking if they'd brought a guest, and he followed the silkenly husky sound to its source. He found the person sought sitting in a high-backed rocking chair, a book open in one hand and a little toddler with fiery red hair and dark cobalt eyes sitting in her lap. That boy was definitely not Ibuki. Looking up from the storybook in surprise, Tsunade lifted a hand to cover her lips and hide the shock.

Setting the picture book aside and lifting the child, holding him steady against a hip as she crossed over to the library door, wrapping Naruto in a tearful embrace.

"You're home. By God in heaven, Naruto, you're _home_." Releasing him from the murderously tight grasp Tsunade lifted the redhead slightly higher, so the child's eyes could lock on Naruto's own. "You…when the letters came back I tried sending them again but they always seemed to miss you, so you never found out. Say hello to your son."

"When did…I mean I know how, but when…" Despite the initial shock Naruto recovered nicely and managed a small but proud smile, reaching out to take hold of his progeny for the first time. He was surprisingly heavy, probably all fat and muscle beneath the bright yellow shirt and overalls. "If it had been any time before I left you would have told me and I would've stayed home."

"You were three months gone when I knew for sure, so I think sometime in February. Ten months I carried him and he gave me hell—kept me in labor for three days. He shares a birthday with Hinata, as a result of that."

"Hmm, there's a small problem. I don't know what to call my son. He looks like his grandmother though."

"Toshiro Uzumaki. It didn't seem fair to give him my clan's name when yours has only the three and has such a long history with Konoha."

"One more thing I have to catch up on. If I spend any more time away nobody will know me and I won't know anyone anymore. Now that I'm here though I can be a part of his life and yours again—listen to me, I'm worse than one of pervy sage's books." Suppressing a laugh, Tsunade smiled all the same, watching as little Toshiro pulled at Naruto's hair playfully. Obligingly, his father looked down into the boy's eyes. Notably, Naruto hadn't denied the three clan members thing. Either he'd left another offspring in Kumo as suggested by his implication regarding the host of the Two-Tailed Cat, or he counted the nine-tails as part of his family now.

"So who still lives here? The family I walked out on, I wonder if they'll forgive me for running away. I had reasons but it still had to suck for everyone who didn't get to come along."

"You'll see around dinnertime, Naruto. You're a mess from traveling so go clean up. Although I don't think your old clothes are going to fit anymore. I mean look at you, you're gigantic. Give it a few years and you might even be taller than Gai."

"I might get taller but he'll still be larger than life." Passing Toshiro back into his mother's arms, Naruto supplied Tsunade with a tender kiss, releasing only reluctantly as he could in fact smell that he was in dire need of a shower, or better yet a long bath. He hadn't had one of those in weeks and the prospect was too good to pass up. And one of his spare outfits would have to do for now, until he could get out shopping to replace his wardrobe.

* * *

Come to think of it, why _did_ everyone want Naruto's babies? Tsunade had pondered that question considerably ever since she had received it in the posts that had Naruto's handwriting and seal on the envelopes, and had yet to determine a proper answer. Watching him leave the library, she sighed and went back to reading the story to Toshiro; if Naruto really had been serious about that promise (and there was no reason in her mind to think otherwise), then she was going to have to revive some rather old legislation.

Being Hokage meant that she could pretty much sign anything she wanted into law, if it involved shinobi, though she had yet to abuse that privilege for personal gain as the leaders of other hidden villages no doubt did on a regular basis. The trick was that the laws she wanted to invoke were already on the books, yet hadn't been called forth since the days of Tobirama Senju, Second Hokage, and only briefly entertained during the last great war. That same war had produced such legends as the White Wolf and Yellow Flash, and sparked enmities lasting well into the current generation.

And the whole business with Akatsuki, ultimate goal still unknown, did not make a good recipe for lasting peace. Tenuous cease-fires at best, but it wouldn't take much provocation for another war to start. Sound, Rain, Stone, the first a mystery, the second off-limits to everyone but missing-nin, and the last just plain old stubborn…it took a sharp tug on her hair to remind Tsunade that she was supposed to be reading, childish babble from Toshiro's lips chiding her for interrupting the story.

By now the mystery of the house had been solved; the design on the gate should have been indication enough and still the residents had tried to ignore that it rightfully belonged to Naruto anyway, choosing to look at it the way they had since moving in: Hiruzen's last gift to an orphan boy who performed a great service to the city he cared about. It was welcome distraction, she thought, turning the pages as her eyes read and voice followed, from the machinations of certain parties within Konoha.

Between murmurs of dissent who felt a sort of nepotism was in play given that a Senju was once again sitting in the office of Hokage, whether Tsunade used the clan name or not, and the ambitions of the more militaristic Root division of the Special Forces, specifically one Danzo Shimura, it was a daily balancing act to keep Konoha from collapsing under its own weight. Add in the daily necessities of motherhood as well as the effort needed to train her apprentices, and Tsunade considered herself fortunate to have received that little idea on how to use shadow clones to handle mundane tasks. Trust the one who used them as a weapon in practically every fight to think of ways to use them outside of battle, as well.

And that's why she loved him, really, in spite of the difference in age. He may not be book smart but her Naruto had a way of coming to conclusions that helped everyone, if sometimes in a roundabout or purely accidental way. Physically at least she only had a couple of decades on him and if she were careful it would stay that way. The time she'd already lived could be extended, and if no undue exertions were undertaken then she stood a fair chance of growing old—well, older—with him.

If the forces currently at work allowed such a thing to happen, she'd believe in miracles for sure. Sometimes she wanted nothing more than to relocate Konoha somewhere else, turn it into a true hidden village. Such a thing was not possible, though, remaining just dreams for now. At the very least one of them could come true. Turning the page one last time, Tsunade couldn't help glancing at the pearl ring decorating her hand as she read the last words in the book for Toshiro. "And they lived happily ever after. The End."

* * *

Deep within a hidden stronghold in the equally hidden Sound, two figures in black cloaks decorated with red clouds approached the yellow-eyed genius and certified madman with the bandaged arms. Lacking the four shinobi he'd given the curse mark of heaven to due to Konoha's interference, Orochimaru had little choice but to admit the two missing-nin down into his laboratory. Doubtless the pair had come to once again remind him of his 'failure' in the Leaf village. Oh, as if the fault lay entirely on him. He'd accomplished the task they'd set out for him, eliminating old man Hiruzen at considerable risk to himself and with the loss of much of his more skilled forces; the time it would take to replace them was hardly worth it.

He'd provided the opening, after all. It wasn't his fault that Itachi and Kisame had gone in far too blatantly and then engaged two of the better jounin in Konoha before being forced to withdraw by his old friend, the Toad Hermit. Jiraiya could be a real handful when he wanted to, and the setback from having Tsunade present during the invasion as well, not to mention what Uzumaki nearly did to him…losing Kabuto was bad enough. His elite bodyguards having their chakra sealed in addition to losing a capable assistant was just intolerable. One of these days he'd have to track down the experiments and release the binds on their abilities, assuming the curse marks he'd given them hadn't already done so.

At least Bird-man and Shark-boy had enough sense not to bother Orochimaru in his continued quest for limitless vitality. He had evidence supporting that if he could claim an Uzumaki for himself…especially a young one…that the forbidden Soul Transfer technique he'd developed would allow his lifespan to be extended considerably. All his knowledge and experience, into an empty mind and unfortunately infantile body meant that he would need protection and care until his body caught up with his mind.

Getting back into Konoha, even with help, was going to be difficult and stealing away something that might not even exist next to impossible. His eyes glinted ominously as Deidara and Sasori stepped into the light.

"Well if it isn't the mad bomber and the living puppet; to what do I owe this pleasure?" The Akatsuki members bristled, less because Orochimaru was insulting them and more because he was always so disturbingly _accurate_ in his assumptions.

"Spare the formalities, Orochimaru," breathed Sasori, always sounding so dead because of that puppet body of his. "Lord Pain wants to know what progress you've made on the latest task."

"I don't work for Pain and I don't appreciate guests showing up to try and bully me into pursuing rather **boring** lines of research. If and when I get around to it, I'll inform _Nagato_ personally. I might even loan Manda for a few missions, if he's nice enough. Frankly I think what you're attempting is absurd at best. At worst it will fail and you will all die." He said it so matter-of-factly that he may as well have been discussing the weather in Pain's home village and current seat of power. Honestly, that boy was so melodramatic sometimes.

Thinking he could hide behind such a silly alias without changing anything about his appearance, without moving away from the cause of his dementia to begin with, and expect to remain anonymous to someone who was partners with the man who taught him to utilize his talents and trained him as a ninja to begin with, there had to be something wrong with his head. Oh, how he would love to dissect him and find out!

"You just remember to keep your end of the bargain in a timely manner," Deidara was saying, interrupting his thoughts, "and you get to keep your toys for another year. Make us or master Pain unhappy, though, and I'll show you how interesting my art can get." Orochimaru snorted. As if anything Deidara could do compared to what he was close to unlocking. He was a scientist at heart, of course; the utility of the ninja arts aside, there was much more that could be discovered and controlled without it. All he needed was time.

Time and a suitable host, and soon, very soon, he would have both…

* * *

**Bathing like this is good. Very refreshing, much better than those women who put themselves on display by the roadside.**

_Not arguing with you there. The way the hot water just makes the tension melt away… Makes it easy to forget about the world, and retreat into a bubble where there's nothing to bother or worry you…_

**No petty jealousies, no political maneuvering, not even so much as a wandering bandit picking the wrong target. Utter tranquility.**

_Utter tranquility and the hottest mother in the world heading up the stairs right about now._

**Familiar footsteps. It's been too long since you've heard them.**

_Well I'll be hearing them every day now. Better hide. She's coming._

**I am still trying to get used to this sense of altruism. Symbiosis, you called it. A two-way street. Disparate entities working together for mutual benefit. If it were not for my sire's nature maybe we would all have been more benign in the past.**

_Splash._

"Um, Tsunade?"

"Hmm?"

"Done reading the story?"

"Mmhm."

"And now?"

"Making up for lost time."

"Just checking."

"You missed the last one."

"I did and I'm sorry."

"You are not missing the next one."

"Yes, ma'am."

Waves began to ripple through the previously placid surface of the bathwater.

"You didn't do that last time..."

"You're older. And bigger. And…much more capable."

"Let me show you what I've learned…"

Soft gasps of ecstasy echoed lightly off the tiles.

"Did…you pick that up from him?"

"Nope, this one's all me."

"Oh…_ohhh…_"

* * *

Following the little intermission in the cypress tub, Tsunade left the bath looking quite satisfied. Still wearing a goofy smile, Naruto let his mind drift back into the space deep within, a space that was now less a sewer and more akin to a runoff channel. No need to tell her that he'd learned all that by practicing on a transformed clone. Figuring out when and how to touch his lover had been an interesting challenge, and a much better option than those…courtesans was the word Jiraiya had used.

He'd worried that his research would have been in vain, that a transformed clone and the genuine article would be far too dissimilar to actually apply the findings to. His heart was light with the discovery that no, there had been almost no difference between practice and partner after all. Tomorrow he'd go shopping, and then afterward start talking with her about when she wanted to hold the nuptials. Getting married was a daunting prospect for him, considering he was technically still an active ninja. That said, there were plenty of active ninja that were married and had sons and daughters who were also active ninja…so maybe it could work out after all.

How many men were going to get the chance to say they'd married a Kage, anyway? And now maybe all his friends could stop putting off their own weddings. Merciful heaven but there was truth in the old saying. Ninja _did_ grow up fast. Naruto frowned as it brought along the suspicion that there was an ever-growing gulf between Ninja and Not-Ninja. Given time there might be two different societies sharing the same space.

And then there was the plan his former prisoner was still working on. The mind was a two-way street and though Naruto remained the 'dominant' personality the truth was that the Naruto Uzumaki who had been born on October 10th, almost sixteen years ago, was for all intents and purposes dead, as was the giant demon fox that had been sealed into him. What existed now was neither Naruto nor Nine-Tails, but rather an equitable mix of both. Putting it in terms like that, he wondered if he was actually betraying his home; such thoughts were not worthy of him, though, and he set them aside.

Naruto Uzumaki existed still. He'd just happened to gain a much greater insight. The plan had been pretty damn good, that much he had to admit. Like his shadow clones there was only so much direction the fragments could be given. His best option now was to continue feeding the 'offspring' of the Nine-Tails, hoping that they would become like their 'father' given enough time.

**You realize that, in keeping with your current thoughts, that a fair number of women in this city are technically your wives? Including your former cohorts.**

_That would only matter if I wanted a harem of willing servants, which I don't. Question: what happens to you if I give away all of your chakra?_

**In case you haven't noticed, I've stopped sending to a fair number of people since we arrived. Now that we're here it's easier to gauge how much has actually been given and how much more they could handle, and the ones that are at their limits are not receiving any more.**

_Sorry. Everything that's happened in just a few hours…it's been a bit overwhelming. I need time to decide how I feel about it._

**Still time to start on Toshiro. Or your lover.**

_Not without her say-so._

**Spineless worm. What's so special about one woman?**

_Look inside my head. You know what love is and what it does to people._

**Yes. It's worse than demon possession.**

_Ha ha. Laugh it up while you can._

**I know. We'll send a marriage contract to Yugito, so when the two brats you've made so far grow up…**

_And what if she has a son, too?_

**Good point. Forget I said anything.**

_I've already begun._

* * *

Correction: he had a _SHITLOAD_ of catching up to do. It was the day after his return to Konoha, and Naruto had met with Sakura and Hinata in the training ground where they'd first been confirmed as a team. The other two teams comprising the Rookie Nine were in attendance as observers, wanting to see how much Naruto had improved on his sojourn. The first exercise was going to be 'light' sparring, though everyone there knew it was going to be anything but.

After an hour of brawling, Naruto realized that he wasn't the only one who had been getting better by the day. Sakura had progressed with her water element techniques to the point where she didn't even need hand signs for half of them, and the other half could be performed one-handed—which left the other hand free to try and knock his head off with some impressive taijutsu. With one hand constantly wreathed in ever-shifting streams of water and the other capable of delivering stone-shattering blows, he'd been forced to really go all-out on her, and that was just letting Hinata, his next opponent, see the flaws and weaknesses in his own fighting style.

Firing wind blasts left and right he persistently angled to keep Sakura from closing the gap on him; even with his impressive healing skills if he took too strong a hit then he'd be down and out and probably hospitalized until the nine-tails' chakra could take over and boost his recovery rate. All he needed was a little time to form the Rasengan; that thought had turned into the exhaustive battle still raging as the sun climbed higher into the sky.

Finally he managed a moment where he could generate the fiercely rotating sphere, though not at full power since he wasn't interested in blowing her open from crotch to collar. After switching up from wind to fire to create an opening he dashed in, smacking Sakura dead center with the sphere of energy, drilling her into a tree a dozen yards behind and in the process took a hammer blow that smashed him into the dirt, leaving a Naruto-shaped crater in the ground. Limping back to the central area as Naruto dug himself up, Sakura grinned and spat out some bloody phlegm.

"I get the distinct impression that you are toying with me, Naruto Uzumaki," she chided breathlessly.

"Nuh uh, not a chance. Now if I'd been using shadow clones…but we agreed on physical combat skills only. You really are just that good." While Naruto recovered, Sakura tagged out and Hinata stepped into the 'ring' outlined by Teams Eight and Ten. Almost immediately she formed the seal for his favorite technique, three more Hinatas coalescing in the clearing amidst a swirl of leaves.

"Hey, I thought we agreed no shadow clones!"

"That's your agreement with Sakura. We have no such contract."

"Alright then. I was holding back on this but now I have to play rough." Grinning, Naruto formed his own copies, and then blurred out of sight. Flaring her Byakugan into life, Hinata searched, keeping her field of vision extended as far as it could go and still give her alert if he showed up to the side or behind. The blurring hadn't been a genjutsu; had he really gotten that fast?

Sasuke could see him, she noted, just barely, and using his eye movements as a warning spun and kicked out, catching Naruto in the chest as he slowed down to attack. The impact sent him hurtling head over heels, bouncing a fair distance though recovering before he left the designated combat area and being automatically forfeit.

"Okay, so you managed to beat Flash Step, stage one…can you handle stage two?" Blurring again, this time even Sasuke's eyes were of no help. The only indication that Naruto had even passed her came when her breasts suddenly jumped and she found her jacket undone, exposing the wire mesh shirt and black bra underneath.

"N-Naruto! Those aren't for you anymore!" All eyes were on the main fight, the shadow clones duking it out trying to get an advantage so that one set could be used against their maker's opponent and give the original a chance to score a critical blow. Skidding to a halt behind Hinata, he reversed direction and whistled, two high notes and one low. Immediately the three copies body-flickered, in a constantly shifting pattern devised specifically to deal with vision-type bloodline abilities.

Against one Hinata it would have worked. Against four of them it failed spectacularly, but it did reveal one other thing about Naruto's new techniques. He liked to make things explode. And explode the clones did, erupting into tremendous updrafts of wind that tossed the Hinata clones into the air and let them land hard enough to disperse, themselves. Leaving just the one Hinata and the one Naruto, now charging at a more visible speed with hands outstretched and blue eyes shifted to purple from the power he was drawing on.

At the last second, Hinata rammed her foot into Naruto's gut again, sending him sprawling once more. When he stopped rolling, and popped to her feet, Hinata was stunned to see that he had her bra on his head, wearing it like some sort of ceremonial headdress. Hastily she shoved her jacket closed again, trying to figure out when he'd managed to get it off of her and more importantly without her feeling anything. She'd have to get him to teach her that one.

"Flash Step, stage three," he said with a grin upon catching the look in her eyes. "Stage one makes you pretty damn fast. Stage two makes you really damn fast but only in a straight line, so it is a bit limited when measured against longer-range techniques like body flicker. Stage three actually stops time momentarily, but burns up so much chakra that it's usually better to just use a capture or blinding technique. Or spam a hundred clones at someone. But I thought I'd demonstrate for everyone's jealousy." Taking the bra from his head he handed it back to his friend, enjoying the blush on her cheeks. Boy, how he'd missed _that_.

"I guess that makes it a draw then, Naruto?"

"Yeah, I guess it does. And now you know you can make clones explode with rocks or fire or whatever else you want on dispersal." She noted one other thing, that he was outright refusing to mention in front of the ones who didn't yet know his secret. Apparently stage three of that 'Flash Step' required him to draw at least partially on the demon chakra residing inside of him, meaning it was definitely not something to be used casually. Nice that he shared such a vulnerability with her.

"Well, Naruto. It looks like you haven't changed a bit."

"Kakashi-sensei!" Turning toward the source of his former teacher's voice Naruto showed an eager grin, clasping the jounin's arm in a friendly greeting as the masked man approached.

"I trust you weren't being too rough on your girlfriends."

"Just seeing how we measured up against each other. Unless you want to throw us on an island for another month."

"Ah, no, nothing like that. I had heard that my favorite knucklehead was back in town so I had to see it for myself. Team Seven's reunited once more, isn't it? Although I do have my hands full teaching another team now, it's good that all my best students are back together." Their presence to either side was comforting to Naruto. The people he could trust with his life, though now they outranked him and if he really wanted the old team back together he'd have to put in some hard work.

"I hear you have mastered your other half."

"Are we talking about S-class secrets openly, Kakashi-sensei? That's grounds for trial and execution, you know!"

"Save it. We all know. Half the people standing here have a piece of him to carry around."

"Mastery isn't the word I'd use. It's more like a sort of symbiosis. Much different than before, where I was more or less a parasite. I am now he and he is now me, but I am still Naruto."

"And you found out when..?"

"When I overcame my darker half, and then overcame the rage and hatred inside the fox. You put up a concealment I hope, or else we're all screwed." At Kakashi's simple nod, Naruto continued. "At the moment that I had a choice of subsuming him into my consciousness, or giving myself over to him entirely, I chose to compromise. I have all of his memories, he has all of mine. Not that there was ever a point when he didn't. My father's—that is, the Fourth's seal never prevented him from watching. All that really changed is he knows what I was thinking instead of just what he was thinking."

"Is it safe to…draw on the power of these portions? It would prove an asset to their survivability as shinobi."

Naruto conferred internally for a moment, and then shook his head slowly. "In small amounts, maybe, but these shards are in effect separate entities. They may share identical features and memories to the original but they've also developed along different paths. My friends would have to go through the same training I did if they wanted the second chakra to be part of them, not just something they can use."

"So what do you plan on doing with him?"

"Live a long life? Have lots of kids, become Hokage, and at the end of it all, set him free in some isolated portion of the world where there are no people. …Though he says he'd rather follow me to the underworld rather than be alone again. I don't know. We could be lying." There was the unshakable suspicion that Kakashi was grinning behind his mask, waving an arm to encompass the eight gathered chuunin, of which two shared a house with Naruto, one a rivalry, and all a friendship. Some he knew intimately, others casually, and none of them just in passing.

"You know, I think we're due for a mission. A short one, since you've just come back. I'm still your team leader, and as a jounin I'm fully entitled in granting field promotions to be verified by independent testing later. What do you say, Naruto? Think you're up to the task?" It was a surprising offer from Kakashi, White Wolf of Konoha. This required some thought. What he was offering was a chance to be on par with his peers again; Naruto shook his head in a firm negative.

"They all worked for it, so I'm not going to have it handed to me on a platter. Besides, like you said I've just come back. I need to get used to things again, and prove that I'm actually what the city needs in a chuunin. Guys, stop holding yourselves back. I thought I taught you all better than that." Dredging up the memory was a bit difficult, the exact words he'd used to each individual person on the slow road to partnership hazy in forgotten speeches. The essence of the words remained. Ninja of the Leaf are always striving to greater heights of skill and power and status.

Besides, he'd catch up eventually, and someday he'd be wearing that hat. Even if that wasn't the future that actually happened, protecting his home, and his people, was far more important than any fancy chapeau. "The Will of Fire is not what I used to think it was. I believe it means something different for each of us. And I think that's how it's supposed to be. So we can weather any storm, be a beacon…man, I'm not really good at this philosophical stuff. I can be solemn and sagelike later. Let's party!"

* * *

Kneeling before the large idol that dominated the structure, Kakuzu looked up to the one that called himself Pain, cowering in fear that came from a primal source he couldn't name. Alone in the chamber with his master there was only the possibility of rebuke and perhaps punishment for his failure. He'd restrained Hidan from practicing his Jashin-worshipping ways, emphasizing discretion over destruction, as their Lord's will required subterfuge more than it required slaughter.

Kakuzu had no doubts that Hidan would soon be disposed of, though for the time being he had his uses. The discovery of what the tailed beasts were doing, especially those that had relatively strong seals on them, jeopardized the very essence of his Lord's masterful machinations. So he had said, and instead of capturing the vessel as they were meant to, he'd made the choice to report his findings to Pain directly.

And then there was the problem of Orochimaru. He very clearly desired to eliminate the host of the Nine-Tails for the failure he'd been handed; and now the Uzumaki possessed the ability to draw on his demon at will, without the risk of his identity being subsumed by the ancient beast.

"Rise, Kakuzu. Be at ease. Your decision is based on sound reasoning. I cannot say I am pleased, but it is, I must allow, a failure on my part. In thinking that the hosts were the only ones who could make choices, lay plans, I have erred, and that must be put to rights. No, I did not expect you to attempt the wholesale slaughter or capture of entire cities' worth of people. And thanks to your change of heart we now have information we did not previously possess.

"Orochimaru is the greater threat at this time. While the Sound is still weak, it recovers more and more strength with each month that passes. It is only a matter of time before he makes a move again; when he does I wish to be prepared and counter him accordingly. Creating the demon king that was battled by the Sage of Six Paths and reduced to its current forms by him may yet be possible, even with the individual beasts intentionally diminishing themselves. Once we have made the god that man has enchained, no more resistance will be possible. Of that I am certain."

Kakuzu nodded hesitantly, not speaking until his master had finished. Being around Pain was always disconcerting, the quiet way he talked as if he were confiding a secret instead of orchestrating the death of one world and the birth of another.

"My instincts all say that we should start with Shukaku first. He will be the easiest to draw out and capture; all we need do is pose a visible threat to Suna and he will definitely give chase. I cannot say much about the Cat and Ox for now; Kumo being one of the few hidden villages that actually puts emphasis on being hidden makes infiltrating it a poor decision. The Two-Tails' host, Yugito, is known to travel often, so it will be easier to obtain her then. As for the others I cannot say."

"Every move has risks, Kakuzu, but risks we must take if we are to ensure any future for this miserable world we live in. The total annihilation of the will to fight, the desire for war, is the only outcome. The paths I walk have foretold this, and it is this that I will follow until I draw breath no more."

* * *

Hangovers, to put it bluntly, sucked. Granted having a hangover was to be expected after the collective nine of them had cleaned up and changed into clothing appropriate for festival-goers, keeping their headbands somewhere discreet but visible, and together the three ninja teams started trawling through the fairgrounds, playing games, having eating contests, and sneaking drinks wherever they could.

It hadn't taken long for them to be joined by their teachers—although Kurenai seemed to be taking it relatively easy contrary to what Kiba said about her abilities to hold down liquor—and somewhere along the line the group had even picked up Anko, and by the time the fireworks started, Naruto, among others, was well and truly sloshed. At one point, so he was told, he started slobbering on Ino's shoulder, thinking she was Tsunade and promising to do some very lewd things to her, before a fist (and he was still trying to figure out whose) sent him spinning into a different bunch of revelers.

The ensuing brawl had fortunately taken place outside the carnival area and rapidly suppressed by some rather cross police ninja; as it was Naruto was now staring at the bars of a cell which he was currently sharing with about half the male contingent of the roving party that he'd instigated. For a moment it was almost like he was back at the academy: Sasuke brooding in a corner, Chouji munching down chips in the cell, Kiba snoring—then the aftereffects of yesterday's binge drinking caught up with him as he tried to sit up and roll off of the thin pallet that served for beds inside the drunk tank.

"Ah, shit. We made a scene, didn't we?"

"You punched out a merchant's wife after calling her an ugly old bulldog," Sasuke commented, rubbing at his temples. In pain or irritation he couldn't tell, and didn't ask.

"Right, right, that's after she yelled at me for spilling her drink when I crashed into her. Who hit me?"

"That was me," volunteered Chouji. "You really need to learn how to hold your liquor. And loan me whatever book you picked that stuff up from. Ino was turning so red I thought she was going to explode."

"Keep it down!" That whine came from Kiba, rolling over and pulling the hood of his jacket tighter over his head. "A man should not have to suffer in such dire conditions as this. I keep petitioning for them to put a heater and thicker beds in here…"

"Not your first time in the drunk tank, Kiba?"

"You've seen my mother; you'd drink, too. I hope they were nice to Akamaru this time." A sharp laugh announced that Shikamaru was awake, boring his eyes into the group from the opposite cell. "Why are you in here?"

"After all the embarrassment you caused our squad I figured it was only fair to start throwing punches myself. Filling in the disorderly part of the drunk and disorderly charges they're going to bring against us in a few minutes. There was a guard in here to check up on you guys earlier." Easing himself up into a sitting position, Naruto stared at Shikamaru, sitting in the same cell as Shino and a portly man who sported a nice set of bruises. "Don't bother trying anything silly. The cells are designed to hold ninja."

"Right, I wasn't thinking about that. Just wondering who thinks they can muster up the concentration for a shape-shift." Shikamaru's eyes narrowed at the shaggy-haired blond with the mischievous grin on his face.

"Do you plan on trying a body-swap, too? Because the substitution won't work; I've tried it before when helping test out the effectiveness of the cells."

"Well, that's half the plan gone. Nah, let's all just transform into girls before the guard comes back."

"What about this other guy? I don't think he can pull that off."

"Oh, never mind then. I'm in deep shit when I get home."

"First offense," Kiba groused, "you're gonna get off easy. I'll probably get stuck cleaning up the park again."

"'Easy' he says. He doesn't know who I room with, does he?"

* * *

As he'd feared, Tsunade was quite irritated with him. Naruto let her rant, peppering the tirade with appropriate responses whenever he was expected to give one, still trying to overcome the effects of the previous day's bar crawl. Not that he could blame her for being upset at such reprehensible behavior, and he couldn't pass the blame off on anyone else, either. The roving party had been his idea, after all.

"So do you have anything, anything at all, to say in your defense? I'm waiting."

"It, uh, won't happen again? Look, I know it was stupid and immature and the big fight and getting police called on me didn't help your image any but sheesh, haven't seen those guys in two years. Can you blame a guy for wanting to grab his friends and get rowdy?" That was the ultimate problem in her mind; she _couldn't_ blame him. She just wished, she had hoped, that Naruto would have at least a little more sense and wait until there wasn't so much attention on him to pull something idiotic like that. He'd apparently opted to use the current festival as a staging area; given all the tourists and visitors faces get lost in the crowd, giving the opportunity to get himself and his friends suitably drunk without being turned away.

"This is disappointing, and wholly unacceptable. I expected better of you, and this is what I get instead? Maybe sending you away wasn't the best of ideas after all; you seem to have picked up more bad habits from Jiraiya than good. As much as I hate to do it I'm putting you on a three-month suspension. No missions, no training, no use of ninjutsu for chores, anything. What you are going to do," and here Tsunade turned to him, expression softening to quell the protest that was building in his throat, "is spend time at home with your family, getting to know your son, and making your princess happy. Understood?"

Swallowing his pride, Naruto nodded, receiving the restrictions placed upon him without protest. A small smile crept onto his lips and he pulled Tsunade into the warmth of his arms, drinking in the scent of lavender and spice that he'd yearned for every day since departing, and hoped to wake up to every day from this point forward.

"I'll think of how to punish your friends later. For right now…I don't know. Everything I had planned for today is ruined. Have to pick it up tomorrow, I guess." Pushing herself out of Naruto's grasp, she held him at arm's length, hands on his shoulders and having it reinforced just how much different he was physically. "Next time you have a party, remember to invite me." Catching the wink it was returned with a nod, and the inexorable smile returned to his face. "Come on, then. There's some shopping left to do and I might as well put you to work carrying things."

* * *

The border was twenty-three miles behind them and growing further away with every step, chakra-powered leaps letting them cross dozens of yards on the same amount of effort that it took the average person to walk to the bathroom every morning. Deidara looked positively bored with the featureless terrain of Wind country, dusty plains interspersed with a few stunted shrubs and gnarled trees that looked like they belonged in some madman's impressionist painting.

His propensity for mass destruction—beautiful explosions fit to make the most masterful of pyrotechnic displays seem the scrawling of a child—was of vital importance to this assignment. Endangering the people of Suna didn't really sit _well_ with him but he hadn't any qualms against it either, unlike that zealot Hidan who quite possibly would have attempted to slaughter the population wholesale. Murder was a task, to be tolerated, not enjoyed, although if he got the chance to, he was going to stuff Hidan full of exploding clay and set him off in the village that spawned him.

"The problem here, Deidara, is that the ritual grounds are inside Fire nation borders. The Kazekage, I hear, is close friends with Konoha's beast container, and the two villages are closely allied recently. We may have to be prepared for a combined response, and taking the current Kazekage after the last one was killed only three years ago will have a definite armed response."

"I know the details already, Sasori. You are thinking the nine-tails will try to intervene, then?"

"He can't be everywhere at once and drawing him out here, while it may end in us dying, will prevent him from going to the Two-tails' aid."

"Mm, I'm not sure if I like that. It makes me glad that Itachi and Kisame have that task. Women and babies aren't really my favorite targets. As much as I respect master Pain, if he had assigned us to the Monster Cat instead of those two butchers, I might have had to turn him down."

"Risky talk there, Deidara. You're not thinking of turning traitor, are you?"

"Not at all! Just saying I would probably wait until it was only one life I was taking away. The cat's host may be a ninja, but little children are, well, off-limits. Shame that more people aren't so refined, but a baby can't appreciate my art as much as a grown person can."

"Art should be enduring, you puff. Not something that's here and then gone, like a mayfly. True appreciation of the word 'art' and the career 'artist' can in truth only obtained by offering an enduring legacy! See, Orochimaru may be crazy, but at least he understands."

"Can we please not mention old snake-face? It bothered me just being in the same country as him. For that matter, the new guy, Tobi, weirds me out too. I don't care that Zetsu vouched for him, there's something _off_ about him."

"I won't argue with that—stop distracting me from my lectures, damn it!" Deidara's laughter chased them through the expanse.

* * *

Morning, just after six, the sun having not yet risen from its shadowed slumber on the other side of the world. Get up, carefully, don't disturb the other weight on the bed. House slippers go on feet, feet carry body to toilet, and then out again after a brief visit. Suppress a yawn, head downstairs into the kitchen, open the refrigerator. Deliberate on what to prepare, gather ingredients from the necessary shelves and cupboard spaces.

Gather pots and pans from the rack hanging over the sink, careful not to make too much noise, set them on the stove and turn on the burners. Yawn again, remember to fill pot with water, decide to set tea on as well. Head outside in bathrobe to retrieve morning newspaper, back inside, paper goes on table. Yawn some more. Begin breakfast preparations in earnest. Mix spices and sweeteners in proper proportion, mix batter, pour into pan and watch as it starts to bubble up. Noise from upstairs, check time. Six-thirty, morning routines beginning. Still dark outside, but moving toward sunrise. Water is boiling, throw eggs into pot, turn heat down to simmer.

Toss the first pancake over onto the other side, pour batter into a second pan. Open pantry, find coffee grounds, start brew. Teapot whistling, turn that burner off and set aside on tray with mugs and tea bags. Morning blend specific to Wave country, likely a gift as it's not usually in stores. Egg timer goes off, remove eggs from water and throw in oatmeal grains. Put first pancake onto a plate. Set eggs into cups, stir cinnamon into oatmeal. Water not quite as good for hot cereal, milk better. Remember milk. Open fridge, find milk and juice, pour quantities of both into carafes and set on table.

Sakura first to eat, taking the finished pancake and one of the eggs, some juice as well. Clinic opens at 8 sharp and she wants to be there early to help with the paperwork. Eats fast, skims the newspaper. A kiss on the cheek and she's out the door. Second pancake goes onto a plate, start a third and some toast as well. Hinata next, steeping tea and then pouring in just a slight bit of milk and asking for the sugar quietly. Has to attend a clan meeting today and there will be lunch served afterward, so eats light, taking some toast once it's ready, spread with apple butter and strawberry jam.

Tsunade next, grabbing half the eggs, and the warmest pancake fresh off the griddle. Morning paper is flipped over to international affairs, short conversation with Hinata concerning upcoming clan meeting. Quick glance over to the cook, wearing the frilly apron that is rather incongruous on a male figure. Resolution to buy one more befitting the householder later. Both out the door at the same time, one kiss on the cheek, one on the lips.

Miyuki last, taking some of the oatmeal and giving Ibuki a plastic bowl and spoon. The girl is well-behaved, or at least tries to be, but still needs a little help getting the food to the right place. Milk for the brown-haired girl, Miyuki taking last of the toast and an egg, leaving the rest of the oatmeal and the last pancake for him. Shut off stove, put oatmeal into bowls, pancake onto plate along with an egg, put the remainder back into the refrigerator. Head upstairs, grab Toshiro, change diaper and put on training pants.

Get babbled at, don't really know how to respond so smile and have a little conversation. Nonsensical chatter interspersed with actual words, get the impression that he wants to go to the park with the ducks. Think hard, park with ducks can only be the one on the boulevard. Back downstairs, put Toshiro into high chair, let him make a little bit of a mess, make sure he gets more into his mouth than onto his bib. Miyuki reading help wanted section, still job hunting. Wants to be teacher. Pretty good choice, not glamorous, puts in position to influence a lot of people. Needs money for school, suggest helping out with masonry. Hard work, pays well.

Sunrise brings sleepy yawns from both children, and Toshiro has made an utter mess of himself, requiring a bath and a change of clothes. Switching the radio on in the living room to have some music to filter up to the bathroom, Naruto took the little redhead for one of several baths he was likely to require today, humming along with a piece he didn't really know the lyrics to. Getting the right balance of temperature in the water was important. Too hot and he'd burn his child, too cold and Toshiro would scramble to get out like a cat that had been dunked into a pool.

He hears footsteps, and Miyuki comes in holding Ibuki just as he's finished getting Toshiro into the bathwater. "Sorry to impose," she asks, "but could you handle Ibuki, too? I'll handle the kitchen for you." He gives her a smile and drapes a washcloth over Toshiro's head, making the little boy giggle madly as it covers his vision, and holds out his arms for the pigtailed girl. She's still a little shy around him, which is only fair given as 'Uncle Naruto' hasn't been around until recently.

"Come on, Little Ibuki, you can help me clean Toshiro up since he's such a bad boy and gets oatmeal everywhere." Toshiro babbles that he's not a bad boy and then giggles again, having gotten the washcloth off of his head and is now picking it up and dropping it into the water with the sort of wild amusement only a child his age can muster up. Ibuki finally relents and puts her arms out; Naruto takes her and after getting her out of her pajamas, plunks her in the water behind Toshiro.

"'s too shallow," she murmurs into her playmate's head, and obligingly, the returned wanderer turns the spigot on once more, filling the tub a little further, and keeping close eye on the level so it doesn't overtake Toshiro. Shutting it off again, he helps the two young ones soap up, and then grabs the shower head to hose them down. Mad and happy squeals answer his grin as the spray hits them, Toshiro splashing about trying to escape, Ibuki now holding onto Toshiro's washcloth, using it to guard her face.

Shampoo is next, gently worked into a lather and left to settle a bit while the boy and his 'big sister' play with some toy boats, crashing them into each other and the walls of the tub. When Naruto announces it's time to rinse off again Ibuki dutifully scrunches her eyes shut and Toshiro covers his with his hands.

The plug is pulled and water begins to rinse down the drain, the sudsy shampoo being worked out cleanly and now the two are clean again. One towel for Toshiro, another for Ibuki, who insists she can dry and dress herself. Naruto watches her all the same, pointing out when she's about to make a mistake, offering help only when asked. Toshiro goes into training pants, a pair of trousers and blue shirt with a red spiral on the back. Ibuki wears a yellow shirt and a dress that looked like it used to be overalls, judging by the straps going over each shoulder and hooking to a high front. Underpants went on wrong so she has to try again, getting it right the second time. Both children are taken into the play room to socialize, while Naruto takes some time out to clean the bathroom and put the laundry in the hamper for washing later.

Being a dad is hard work, he's learning, although he can't find any reason to complain about it. He's actually got it somewhat easy, considering that Tsunade was the one who had to put up with the late nights, the regular bawling, dirty diapers, midnight feedings and a million other things that some would say were the sole domain of the mother. As if they knew anything. Tsunade had already put up with enough and now that he was here he wasn't going to shirk any duties just because they were distasteful or tedious.

The ninja training had actually helped out with that, as a matter of fact. The patience he'd learned was going a long way in helping him deal with the almost daily fact of moisture-wrinkled hands, pulled hair, smudges on his clothing, crayon drawings on the walls, and the occasional bite. Gentle discipline interspersed with firm correction helped keep most of the bad behavior down; he was careful not to be too stern. Childhood was a time to learn the rules and discover the limits and Naruto while maybe not the best teacher was learning how to make the two children listen.

Observing Tsunade and Miyuki helped considerably; he picked up and used what they did, adapting things when they didn't work, keeping what did and finding that a slightly different approach suited the role of father better. There were things he could do that Tsunade couldn't, just as there were things she could do that were beyond his reach.

Watching them play was interesting, too. They weren't defining any particular gender roles when Ibuki wanted to play dolls, and as often as not the 'mother' went off to do important things while the 'father' stayed home and played dinosaur with the…dinosaur dolls. Participation was key as well. He wasn't just an observer, intermittently imposing himself on them. Toshiro especially deserved his involvement. Life, he was slowly becoming aware, was a constant learning process. Shaken from his reverie by a tug on his pants leg, Naruto looked down into Toshiro's vibrant smile.

"Da! Play din'saur!"

"You want me to play dinosaur, Toshiro?"

"Uh huh! Play din'saur!"

"Okay, which one am I, then?"

"This'n!" Gleefully he stuck out his hands to show him the plush stegosaurus he'd been hiding, unsuccessfully, between his legs.

"Okay, and which one are you?"

"The big'n, goes rawr!"

"Nuh uh!" came Ibuki's protest. "I'm the big one!" Her demands caused Toshiro to stick his bottom lip out petulantly, uncannily similar to the pout that Naruto had employed himself in times past.

"How about you're both the big one? There can be two. A littler big one and his bigger big sister. They do more together than apart, so they can get more of the little dinosaurs."

"Okay!" A tenable arrangement, the pout disappearing and a smile returning as Toshiro scampered over to the toy box to grab a purple plush tyrannosaur with a comical snarl on its face. Remembering the concept of 'sharing', he pulled another one out for Ibuki, and while he dragged the two toys over to hand one to the girl, Naruto stacked up some blocks to serve as trees.

He will never admit to Tsunade that playing with children wears him out. Blocks went scattering as the two toddlers apparently forgot that Naruto wasn't the stegosaurus, tackling him to the floor and showering him with 'nibbles' amidst expressions of genuine happiness. It lasted for about two minutes before degenerating into a tickle fight.

Miyuki watched through the door, cracked slightly open, a smile on her face. Naruto was going to do just fine as a father, she decided. Pity she hadn't landed him first.


	14. Theft

"He's already jounin level, and you know that."

"So are you and the other seven, and you're still being held back, and you know perfectly well why."

"If it's a matter of restraint…"

"Not that at all. Twenty A-Class missions still doesn't give you the experience needed. You're each of you good at your jobs, at being ninja, but you still lack that wisdom that only living can give you."

"If you insist. As for something else… That punishment you meted out seemed inordinately proportioned to the crime."

"It's an opportunity to learn, and it'll give him the time to acclimate back to being in a stable environment. I just picked the first mistake he managed to make to take that chance. He won't hate me for it. I know him."

"It's been thirty months. Do any of us really know him now?"

"All the more reason to keep him out of trouble. If you're finished delivering your reports I wouldn't mind some privacy right now."

"Yes, Lady Tsunade."

Not for the first time, Hinata cursed at having to maintain a professional detachment when she went to see Tsunade for any official reasons. Keeping the familiarity out of her interactions with someone that she resided with was hard enough on a good day, and when the issue of promotions came up it became almost intolerable. Blame couldn't be laid solely on Tsunade's shoulders, though. She wasn't the only one making decisions for Konoha, after all, and if the council thought someone wasn't ready for advancement, he wouldn't advance, simple as that.

Special circumstances could change that, but those weren't likely to occur anytime soon. The sort of situations that normally facilitated field promotions were the last thing that anyone wanted. If they were sane, at any rate. Wars could be fought for any number of purposes—territory, resources, political and economic power—the end result was always the same. People suffered. The survivors grieved, and hated. The smart ones resigned and tried to teach the stupid ones to cool their wrath and understand the enemy.

Cold war wasn't much of an improvement, either, especially not if there were incidents and someone died. Fingers would be pointed, and appropriate retaliations doled out, but it would all be swept under the rug. Most unfair to the families and friends if a death did occur, and anything could be used as justification to escalate things.

These were just some of the things she knew as a Hyuuga, and were of Tsunade's domain as well. The scouting mission to Sand was less of an actual mission this time and more of a diplomatic affair. Shikamaru would be pleased for the chance to see his girlfriend; they were going to have to pick which side of the border to stay on at this rate. Or retire as ninja and move somewhere neutral, like Haku had, though without needing to change names.

Hinata resolved to get the shadow-user to stop being so passive-aggressive about his feelings for Temari. Fidgeting with the headband around her neck as she exited the tower, her head turned up to the monument that now had another face carved into it. Her friend looked better in person, Hinata thought to herself, though the artisans had done a good enough job with the stone promontory.

Her scouting mission was detailed as thus: enter Wind country and enter the village of Suna, meet with the Kazekage and ascertain his disposition for the upcoming summit. Shikamaru would stay behind in a diplomatic capacity, relaying information as appropriate. Doubtless he'd be under guard; Hinata's role as escort was to ensure that they didn't pull anything sneaky. She didn't expect that they would, as a truce had been signed and strengthened; you didn't survive as a major power by being stupid, though.

Part of her wanted to bring along the other students that had graduated with her and been accepted onto teams; the other six chuunin all had their own missions to run, their own teams to lead. It just wasn't possible to commit all of their mid-level operatives to one task. Shikamaru was waiting for her as she entered the Nara household, eyes focused on the game of Go he was playing against Asuma. Kurenai and Shikamaru's mother were audible in the kitchen, trading the latest gossip from the front lines. Wordlessly, Hinata pulled the scroll from one of the pockets on her vest, handing it over to the ponytailed youth who accepted it with an equally wordless nod.

Shikamaru had the game won in thirteen moves, she saw, if Asuma held to his current strategy. The jounin wasn't likely to stick with a plan he could see was losing, and after an exchange, the victory was now in five moves. Throwing up his hands in defeat, Asuma smiled.

"I forfeit. That's twelve in a row now. Commit your forces in the same way and you'll be unstoppable."

"I wish. Plans, enemies. It's better if I can win without having to get drawn into conflict." Crinkling his nose at Asuma's smoking, Shikamaru opened the scroll and set his shoulders a particular way. He wasn't her teammate, but Hinata could read the pleasure in the movement as the orders were acknowledged. "I hate riding, but walking's even worse." He meant to borrow horses to shorten the journey, a thought shared by Hinata. It wasn't that Suna actually lay that far away. A ninja in a hurry could make it from Leaf to Sand in under a week, but they'd be dead tired after and no good for any real work.

So they would take horses. Hinata actually liked these sorts of missions as the odds of having to fight were low. And the less provocation for having Sakura rampaging throughout all of Fire, River and Wind country, the better. Shikamaru wasn't likely to push to leave immediately. These 'soft' missions were rarely time-sensitive, after all. Leaving via the back door, the kunoichi wandered around the Nara lands for awhile, trying to clear her head for tomorrow. She could head home, but being there would just remind her that Sakura was out on her own mission and wouldn't be back until later that night, leaving little time to spend with her before departing the next day.

A soft sigh escaped her lightly-painted lips, joining the whisper of a breeze through the high branches of the trees surrounding her, and for a moment, Hinata let her mind drift on the wind. The earth trembled beneath her feet, imperceptible tremors beginning deep beneath the soil and translating up through mile after mile of solid rock. Listen to the Earth, she'd been taught in one of Kakashi-sensei's more helpful lessons. Ten days gone, a hundred, a thousand, and the earth would be the same. Ten thousand days might bring change, but slow and ponderous. The earth could move like water, though, if enough force was applied.

It had been an object lesson for her, so young she'd felt then even though it had only been a scant three years ago. Did she want to stay rooted in tradition, or did she want to shake things up a bit? Earth never compromised, though it could be moved, and shaped, hiding untold riches or unleashing cataclysmic disasters. At the time she'd thought Kakashi had meant to be careful about upsetting her clan; now Hinata wasn't so sure that had been his meaning. Perhaps that, then, had been the lesson, that nothing stays the same forever, no matter how sturdily built.

In the past two years, then, using her duel with Neji as a starting point, she'd begun the painful process of shaping the future of her clan. It would not be easy, and perhaps she would not be remembered favorably, but she would be remembered. That much was assured.

And…once these missions were over she'd ask Tsunade…if she could finally perform that service for her.

* * *

Sleep would not come, no matter how hard she tried. It wasn't the December wind that chilled the moon-eyed woman, but something else. Something was happening far away, and it brought with it the promise of renewed torment. Dreams didn't wake Hinata, so to be roused by this one meant that it deserved consideration. Her attention drifted to the mess of pink hair, as long as her own when it wasn't tied up into a pair of looping ponytails or drawn into a tight braid. The moonlight filtering through the window, dimmed by the occasional cloud, gave shape to Sakura's form as she shifted a little to try and recapture Hinata's warmth.

Soft mumblings lifted from her beloved's lips, the gentle rise and fall of her chest acting like a metronome for the soul. Two extremes they had been at the outset, and like a pair of magnets how could they have helped but be drawn together. Exhaling a heavy breath, Hinata lay back down again. This wasn't something she was going to get to do for awhile and it needed to be cherished. Like the planned wedding, set for the eve of the new year. Good fortune was said to befall couples who married on the last day of the year, and if all went well Hinata would return a week before so that the final preparations could be made.

With all that could happen, even in friendly country like Wind, or neutral territory such as River, she prayed for her own happiness and Sakura's as well that they would get to have that day as desired. If there was any time she needed fortune, it was now. Smiling lightly at the arm that draped itself over her torso, Hinata lifted her hand to pat the one curling into her nightshirt as reassuringly as possible. Hiashi had not exactly been _pleased_ to hear that his first daughter was to wed someone else's.

Careful explanation had been a necessity. Hinata could still conclude her duties to the clan without hesitation, though she loved Sakura and that was that. If he protested further, she'd said to him, that same day that Naruto had returned, then she would renounce the name of Hyuuga and live as an exile. She didn't hate men, were her words, didn't hate her clan. She just loved Sakura, and like anyone who has ever loved, wanted to share her life with one who loved her in return.

"Hinata," he'd said to her, using a voice that had not been heard in the main house since her mother died, "come with me, and see something."

Dutifully, Hiashi's daughter had followed, keeping pace with him as he entered a small room sealed against the Byakugan, less to block it from sight and more to convince the viewer that nothing important lay inside. The room held an astonishing number of things. Portraits. Mementos. Letters from brother to brother, little trinkets sealed in glass, and on the wall above a shrine a sheet of paper, framed and treated to withstand the test of time.

"Do you see that paper in the frame there? That is an essay your mother wrote when she was a student at the academy. Go read it." Again, duty caused her to obey and Hinata took a peek at the framed document. There were only a handful of words on the page and upon inspection, she was amazed that aside from the name, it matched her own word for word. "I didn't want you to become a kunoichi, my daughter. I wanted to keep you home, keep you safe. So much like your mother you were back then, and still are now.

"Those words, sparse as they are, reminded me of many things. And they told me that if I loved her, if I loved you, I should not stand in your path, hold you down to fit the mold of a woman who no longer lived. I intended to stop standing in your path and heaven help me I tried but so much can interfere with one's intentions. All I ask of you now is that you give me a good seat at the reception."

Hearing her father say that…Hinata had been stunned. For the longest time she'd thought him concerned only in the honor of the clan, of producing strong heirs. And yet to see all that Hiashi had kept, not only of her mother, but of Hinata as well…and to have his approval to marry outside the clan! In many ways it was much like his own life, he had mentioned. Hinata and Hanabi's mother was a clan outsider, lost, presumed dead on a mission when Hanabi was still just a baby. Efforts had been made to locate her but eventually given up. No bloodline limit meant no risk to the clan or Konoha. It grieved him greatly that Shiori could still be alive somewhere, in enemy hands and waiting for a rescue that was never going to come.

Sobering thoughts for Hinata, as she rested her eyes and focused only on the sound of Sakura breathing, of her having the pickle dream again. Listening to the sweetly insistent murmurs brought a smile again, a soft giggle as Sakura scrunched ever closer in the complete thrall of her slumbered thoughts. She'd asked for a description once, and her only answer was that it involved pickles, Akamaru, and a tower made of cheese. Intriguing.

All in all, the young woman thought as Sakura's breathing began to lull her back to sleep, she didn't hate her father. So he was going to get the best seat in the house. Naruto would just have to settle for conducting the ceremony.

* * *

Panting with the effort of shielding an entire city from the rain of bombs that this madman in a black cloak decorated with red clouds kept assaulting with, Gaara steeled himself for another onslaught, cursing the day that Deidara had been spawned. Of equal concern was his accomplice, a master puppeteer who could only have been Suna-born. This other used the bodies of people that had once been alive, a highly disheartening fact, and was repeatedly trying to catch Gaara in their clutches as he intercepted bomb after bomb.

There was no real physical danger to the city so long as he could catch the explosives before they landed, and the sand was pretty much indestructible. What was waning, however, was his ability to counter. Spreading the sand over such a large area was draining Gaara's immediate reserves fast, making the responses to each new attack sluggish, almost feeble. At this rate the ninja village would begin taking damage.

Archers stood ready to assault Deidara as he flew upon his giant bird, but to give them an opening he had to remove his sand, which would allow the bombs to strike true and what truly infuriated Gaara was that he didn't seem to be anywhere near running out. And then he realized. The sand that he periodically thrust at the missing-nin, in futile attempts to capture him in its crushing grip, was providing him with a way to replenish his supply.

Ninja on the ground fought to keep the city safe from the multitude of puppets that Sasori employed to duel with them, and many on both sides had already fallen, ninja wearing the hourglass emblem wounded or dead while all Sasori lost were a few easily replaceable puppets. How could such an oversight have occurred? The hunters either weren't doing their jobs, or weren't being trained to handle threats like these two.

A sound diverted his attention for just the barest of fractions. Reinforcements were coming—wings of clay wrapped around his body and pulled him close, and just before the feathers detonated the sand shield contained Gaara inside an exceptionally thick layer of the Armor of Sand, dissipating much of the shockwave. The blast, though, left him disoriented and shaky, and lacking concentration he began a gravity-assisted ballistic descent towards the halls of the commerce guild.

Swooping down on the falling Kage, with freshly generated feathers shooting wisps of destruction everywhere they could, Deidara grabbed hold of Gaara's limp form in his bird's clutches and swiftly applied a tag to his forehead. That would keep him restrained, if it was working properly, long enough to reach the place of sacrifice. Once the Tanuki was extracted, Akatsuki had no further need of the corpse and whoever showed up, well, they could have it.

Wind sliced past, nearly decapitating him and shearing off pieces of his bird; the gale also brought with it some of the exploding feathers that were about to run out of fuse. Heeling over to the left and then diving back to the right, Deidara spied a lone figure in white on a rooftop, wielding a large fan. Dodging explosions and further waves of air he frowned, fixing the camera to his eye and taking a good look down at the woman as she blasted at him yet again. Ah, that would be Temari, the Kazekage's sister. Powerful wind user, however…

"Sasori, could you spare a minute to take that annoying fan away from the girl?" Deidara requested, risking the radio. They probably already knew who he was at any rate.

"Busy. Little kabuki brat giving me trouble."

"Trouble, mm? That's not like you at all. I can't drop any bombs on her, she'll just blow them back and the bird can only stand its wings being clipped so much before it crashes."

"And that is my concern because why?"

"If I drop the One-Tails and he dies, he will be very cross with us." At least two days to cross into River country, a day further to reach the sacred grounds, and then three days to perform the ritual… no time to be picky about targets, then. Forming a cluster of bombs, Deidara took aim and launched them at a building that was quite obviously a hospital. Faced with a dilemma of whether to save her brother or protect the city like he desired of his siblings and himself, she finally chose the latter and blew the bombs out of Suna's borders with a mighty swing.

The opening created, Deidara sent the bird into a power dive headed straight for the mountain pass that guarded the only entrance into Suna, sticking to the plan even if Sasori was taking his time and fucking around with some kid who probably didn't have any real puppetry skills. He hated walking, but in the open desert, a bird would be easily spotted. Sand tended to cover your tracks nicely, though, and the bird could sprout legs and run. Carrying people was Sasori's job, what with that hollow puppet he kept for just such a purpose.

His companion joined him soon enough, right on time as a matter of fact so perhaps he couldn't begrudge Sasori taking a few extra minutes to properly school whichever ninja he'd been fighting against. Explosive tags littered the upper reaches of the pass and digging bodies out of the rubble would make a nice hobby for the Sand ninja. Hearing the pursuit squad approaching, Deidara grinned and set off the traps, causing a massive rock slide to bury a little more than half of the chasers. Tags were rather rudimentary, even old-school; effective enough, however. Deidara wouldn't waste his art on something as ordinary as collapsing a canyon.

Everything according to plan. The weaklings who dared call themselves ninja hadn't even slowed the Akatsuki pair down.

* * *

"Lord Pain. Deidara and Sasori have secured the One-Tails. They will be in River in approximately 48 hours."

"Good. The first stage is going well. Have Kisame and Itachi finished their infiltration into Lightning?"

"Proceeding on schedule, sir; Itachi reports that there may be difficulty as the Two-Tails' host has not moved as predicted."

"Tell them to wait. We need them in a secure location to perform the ritual for the extraction of Shukaku from his host in any case."

"At once, sir."

* * *

The Nine-tailed Fox was the desired trophy, as before. Sixteen years had gone by, time of no import to someone who could warp it as he pleased. Madara Uchiha, masquerading as relative unknown masked man Tobi, stood before Orochimaru, his single exposed Sharingan staring balefully out at the Snake Sannin. Orochimaru looked bored. He could change that.

"All the pieces are in place, Orochimaru. Everything is moving toward a path to allow you your prize, the body you seek. Throwing the accumulated decades of technique and experience you possess into a mere infant seems a waste; that is not my concern. Steal the Uzumaki brat, lure the Nine-Tails out, and I will help you subdue him. Once the fox is extracted and bound to me, keep the host's body, run experiments on it for all I care. Consider it payment for your role in this."

Orochimaru _did_ look bored; he was also suspicious. He wanted a Sharingan or two for himself, preferably ones that had developed to their second stage of power. The Sannin was aware that Madara possessed what he sought after. Taking it would be a lesson in how to commit suicide rather quickly. Madara's time-space manipulation was even more insidious than the Fourth's Hiraishin. Now _that_ he would have liked to get his hands on. The secret died with Minato, though, and forever stole it from his grasp.

"You are aware that the Uzumaki boy has mastered his beast, Uchiha? Assaulting him will not be easy and capturing him less so. Simply offering me his body hardly compensates for the trouble it will cause me. Surely you can do better!" Venom dripped from his voice as he contemplated the robed figure before him, someone who should by rights be as dead as Hashirama Senju. That he was not was bothersome. A ninja with Madara's level of power could not ever be trusted to keep his word. Once they had gotten what they wanted from you, people get to speak of you in the past tense. Death was practically a given for going along with Uchiha's plan.

So he wasn't going to follow it. Some ghost of times past wasn't the only one who could double-cross people.

* * *

Hinata had already gone with Shikamaru, and for some reason Sakura and Kiba had gone along as well. They'd just gotten _back_ from a mission and he was looking forward to hitting the theaters with the shaggy Inuzuka pair—Akamaru liked romance films, much to Kiba's chagrin—and were heading out again already… Then again they were just serving as escort, supposedly, and wouldn't be out of the city for that long. Naruto shrugged to himself as Toshiro ran circles around his legs, tapping a pen against his lips with the dilemma of his weekly crossword. He was letting him burn off the manic energy of being a two year old so he wouldn't wake up during naptime. TV droned on in the background, some news program that he wasn't paying attention to.

Until he heard the eye catch for a breaking news story. Grabbing the remote and Toshiro at the same time, Naruto turned up the volume on the set, ignorant of the giggles coming from his son, eyes focused on the screen and ears straining to listen.

"Sources within Wind country affirm reports that the city of Suna in the eastern provinces has been attacked. Details are not forthcoming at this time, though it has been confirmed that the overseer of the city's ninja forces, Kazekage Gaara, is missing among several hundred others. Quick-response teams from several neighboring nations have been deployed to assist with the situation, and it is believed however not corroborated that the renegade organization known as Akatsuki is involved.

"This is Mina Ayasegawa with Action 6 News. We now return you to your regular programming, and will interrupt with new information as the situation develops." The eye catch played again, the television cutting back to the boring midday drivel that had been on the channel before. Gaara was missing. The Kazekage, who he had sworn an oath to, who he was blood brothers with, was missing. That was why they had been dispatched. Inuzuka to track, Hyuuga to see through illusions, and Haruno to break down barriers. No doubt that Shikamaru was going to stay in Suna to coordinate with local efforts, and no doubt more ninja would be dispatched as they became available.

Naruto had to be given a mission. He needed to. Registering that Toshiro wanted to be set down, he absently lowered the jade-eyed terror to the floor, walking jerkily over to the telephone perched on a wall. Numb fingers lifted the handset and punched in the numbers for Tsunade's office. She answered immediately and firmly denied his request to be put on active duty to help in the search.

"Tsunade, what are you keeping me here for? I have a duty to him! I swore on my blood!"

"You have a duty to Konoha, Naruto! We have to consider that this may be a trap to draw you out. If you get captured too…" He could hear her speaking in terms of what's best for Konoha, all the same he could also hear the subtext that she didn't want him getting into trouble and leaving Toshiro without his father again. Blood oath or no, the only way he'd be able to get out of Konoha is if he went missing-nin, and that would definitely not go over well with anyone. It didn't prevent the helpless feelings, though, as Tsunade ended the call and he hung up angrily.

It made sense from a military standpoint; a political one, on the other hand, not quite as much, not to him. A tug on his pants caused him to snap an irritated "What?" down at Toshiro, making the toddler recoil in fright.

"Is mad at me? Did bad?" Shaking his head with a sigh he picked Toshiro up again, pinching one of the kid's cheeks.

"No, I'm not mad at you."

"Mad at mama?"

"A little bit. A friend of mine is in trouble and I'm not allowed to go help him out. It's making me angry."

"Give mama present! Then go!"

"I don't think it works like that, kiddo. See, if I run off she'll send people after me and then I'll be in trouble, too."

"Oh. Don' want daddy in trouble. Wan' daddy here!"

"That's what it looks like, little guy. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. And it's probably going to stay that way."

"Is mama goin' away? Help your friend?"

"Probably not. She'll have to stay here to get updates. It might be over your head, you know. It feels like it's over mine for sure. Mama thinks some bad men might be out to get me."

"Okay, daddy. I keep you safe!"

"Thanks, Toshiro. I knew I could count on you."

* * *

Hinata praised radios every time she was given the necessity to use them. Mostly they were short-range affairs, but more powerful sets existed, some even so strong they could bounce a signal off the atmosphere and reach beyond the horizon. It was funny in a tragic sort of way when she thought about it, how easy it was for armies to coordinate if they had decent communication in place. Radio was usually a civilian domain, used to transmit news and entertainment. Most ninja-heavy administrations had methods of relaying information instantaneously; the difficulty lay in how limited they were.

A projection could only reach so far or talk to so many people at a time, and were chakra-intensive. Radios, on the other hand, worked on plain old electricity, and could be recharged in the field with a simple lightning technique. One had to be careful, though. Batteries exploded if not charged properly. Lately, the ninja world was beginning to learn the benefits of long-range radios. For instance, being able to learn of Gaara's kidnapping while the trail was still fresh and making a beeline for Suna.

Having a reverse summoning in place would have been helpful, as they could have sent Kiba on ahead and met up with him once he had the trail; as it was, they were going to have to haul ass to their sister city and then haul ass back to find Gaara before it was too late. If he died not only would there be grounds for another war, but…

"I kept telling her we should loan out some of our trackers, but you know my mother. Stubborn as hell when it comes to secrets." That was Kiba, naturally, ignoring the fact that giving away clan secrets, even to allies, was to be avoided if possible no matter how helpful that said secrets could be in non-military applications. "Now we have to burn extra energy to hit the border and find a trail that might not even be there anymore? The world is pretty damn inconvenient sometimes!"

Hinata didn't feel like arguing with him, having the same sentiment. Aid had been requested and was on the way as fast as possible, which still felt like not fast enough. She'd met Gaara a few times and found him likable enough, even if quiet in complete opposition to the loud and sometimes obnoxious Naruto. The social calls during the Chuunin Exams where Shikamaru had earned promotion, happenstance meetings on the street, and after the Sound invasion, state functions and treatise conferences… And, lest she forget, the brotherhood between Gaara and Naruto that couldn't be overlooked. It served as the ultimate proof of the two villages' alliance.

Time was of the essence, and after a brief conference, the four were in agreement. Using _that_ was now required. Chakra flared and overtook bodies, enhancing them for speed and endurance. It was a gross misuse of their secret; Shikamaru didn't care, though, and he had authorized the usage of _them_. Referring to the passengers they each carried like that wasn't really fair, by any stretch of the word, but they were secret. The seals each carried were proof of that. Pouring energy into their legs the response team picked up the pace further.

* * *

The border lay just ahead, the land already transitioning from endless dunes to the high cliffs and numerous valleys of the Land of Rivers. High crags decorated with stubborn mosses and sturdy though short trees were a welcome change from the dusty tan of Wind country's eastern quarter. And their guest was so well-behaved. Of course, unconscious as he was the Kazekage couldn't respond to the questions Deidara was posing to him; that didn't stop him from asking them anyway and not for the first time Sasori wondered why it was that he got stuck with the mouthy one.

"Oh god, I'm going to hell for that."

"Hmm?" Deidara paused in his lecture to glance at his partner.

"I was wondering why I got stuck with the mouthy one."

"You're right. You are going to hell."

* * *

Shiori Hyuuga smiled at the mirror, making sure to fix her hair just so. It had been a long time since she'd been home and was looking forward to it, wanting to hold her girls again. Her life she owed to Orochimaru, and had happily served the Sannin in every capacity she could. It was a shame her team had been killed but ninja operations were always risky and she understood that there was a war going. Now she was finally going to get to go home, though, and it pleased her immensely.

Little Hinata must be all grown up now, she thought, and Hanabi well on her way. Being away from her girls, missing so much of their lives hurt so much, but Orochimaru said it was for their safety. After all, he said, she'd been afflicted with a curse that he'd only recently managed to devise a method of control for. The three black tomoe just above her left hip ached from time to time, rebelling against the seals placed on the curse. She'd endure it, though, anything to be with her family again. The war was over.

She was going home.


	15. Recovery

Just before the pink-haired chuunin smashed his face in, Deidara had a moment to contemplate on how life wasn't fair. Nothing had gone according to Pain's schemes. He'd fully expected to die doing this sooner or later, true. Not like _this_, however, after what was for lack of any more elegant terms a no-holds-barred beatdown. He'd expected to die eventually—all missing-nin of his caliber did—but not so soon. Not without even completing the capture of the One-Tail. It was all that blasted fox-boy's fault! If things had gone according to plan he'd be leading the blond brat on a merry chase through the Land of Rivers, not about to get his head forcibly melded with a tree!

Life wasn't fair at all.

Amusingly, it didn't hurt when his skull collapsed.

* * *

Two days earlier.

Deidara hummed a jaunty tune to himself, much to Sasori's consternation. They were the only Akatsuki pair that would be physically present for the ritual; no other bodies were needed, just the energies of the other members of the elite group of missing-nin. He didn't mind going through the beast carriers one by one, from least tails to most; what he did mind was that his partner would not shut up with his merriment. The job wasn't finished until they had extracted the tailed beasts from their hosts.

And Gaara was instrumental to their plan of capturing the Nine-Tails, much to what little sense of regret Sasori possessed. He would have liked to make a puppet from a standing Kazekage, since he missed an opportunity to preserve the last few to hold that position. Mostly due to his exile from Suna, and partly due to the fact that he had been refining his art. It wouldn't be long until they were at the sacred ground, and he would be able to have some peace and quiet.

The only thing that worried him was how long the ritual took. Three days was a long time and unlike Deidara, Sasori didn't have as much faith in Pain's predictions as the ninja from Stone. Tsunade was rumored to be a canny administrator, despite having only been in the chair for as long as Gaara. "Capable commander with capable advisors" is what his contacts in Konoha said. And on very close terms with the Nine-Tails' host. A few even claimed that they were lovers before Uzumaki's sojourn.

If she was as skilled as they believed, then Sasori wasn't so sure that things would go the way that Pain wanted. It was a rule every veteran adhered to: _no plan survives contact with the enemy._ And right now, two of the greater powers in the ninja world were out for blood. In case things _did_ turn out wrong, though, he was prepared to handle a wide spectrum of possibilities. Poisoned weapons, trap-type puppets, containers of all sorts… His only real weakness was against swift opponents. The reaction times of puppets had a slight but appreciable delay owing to the fact that he had to manipulate them into acting.

Given their durability, however, there was a definite advantage of puppets over shadow clones, which if Uzumaki were to come he expected to be flooded with. It would be nice to get some new puppets out of the deal… There, up ahead, lay the giant crag which was really an elaborate barrier. Paper seals stretched across it, suspended from consecrated rope woven by blind monks, served as the only outward signs of its purpose as an obstacle. Most who passed this way in their travels dismissed it as some sort of forgotten holy object, and the complicated genjutsus on it erased memory of it shortly thereafter.

Not Sasori, though, nor Deidara. As one they stood in front of the crag and spoke the password, waiting patiently to be given a breach they could pass through. That was the truly remarkable thing about it: how dense it was, how thick. Quite on purpose, given what it was erected to protect. A full hundred lives had been sacrificed to gather the necessary energy to power it, using the fear, the anger and other such emotions that people felt at death to construct the rejection matrix.

Ninja cities had similar protections, of course, though with different bases. Ninja cities had static barriers. Arguably, the one that guarded this subterranean temple was alive. It wasn't something Sasori spent much thought on. He cast an eye on the sleeping Kazekage, the tag still firmly on his forehead despite there being no adhesive to hold it in place. Wherever this 'Mizuho' place was that Pain had acquired the tags from, its members were geniuses with seal tags and summoning in ways that were highly uncommon in the ninja world. The last village to be as skilled with the sealing arts had been Whirlpool, and look what happened there.

Mizuho was, as far as Sasori knew, pondering more on the history of the world and less on Deidara's bird construct as the duo descended past pillars and alcoves to the vestibule where the statue rested, one of the rare examples of a hidden village that placed emphasis on the 'hidden' part. That it had been found at all had prompted its leaders to offer trade to Rain, though they had insisted on raw materials rather than ryou like the rest of the villages.

"I said, don't you think it's a shame that the chocobo is extinct?" Deidara was nudging him insistently, waiting for an answer from the puppeteer. "You had that look on your face again."

"No time to contemplate history right now. We have to begin the ritual on Pain's schedule, not ours."

"You're not fun, you know that?"

"I'm plenty fun. Just not with hotheaded smartasses like yourself." Huffing dispiritedly at Sasori, the monocle-wearing blond dismissed his mount, clutching Gaara's sash and leaping up onto the altar held in the statue's hands in the same moment, smooth and without any wasted movement. Like a good ninja, all business when it was required and deceptively weak anytime else. One by one, as Sasori and Deidara took up position before the idol, images of the other Akatsuki members appeared on the empty pillars. Led by Pain, they offered platitudes and reaffirmed their allegiance, and all fell silent. The ritual was not one of words, but one of power.

Utter concentration was required. So it was a good thing Deidara had eaten a couple soldier pills earlier.

* * *

Kiba's nose never lied. They'd picked up the trail almost as soon as they'd gotten in sight of the high pass that protected the eastern approach to Suna, and delayed only to pick up a few ninja from the Sand. Temari and Kankuro had all but insisted, demanding to be included in the pursuit team. Shikamaru wasn't about to say no to her, either, and used his sending scroll to inform Tsunade that a pair of jounin from Suna were going to assist in the capture or elimination of the Akatsuki elements.

The team from Konoha only afforded themselves a short time to rest, gulping down water and rations to rehydrate and replenish the calories they'd spent on their mad dash to Suna. For all the distance they'd traveled, though, they didn't look the least bit fatigued, which struck Kankuro as odd. Patently ignoring the way that Shikamaru's hand frequently found its way to his sister's as they traveled once the Leaf chuunin had recuperated, he turned his attention instead to the tracker, Kiba.

Despite his rather large ninja dog, the Inuzuka warrior apparently had even better senses than the animal he rode, at least when it came to sniffing things out. Sand might drift but a scent stayed put; it was interesting to watch the pair work. When one would sniff, the other would listen. When the man would touch, the mount would look. Communication between the two was effortless, seemingly instantaneous; the only delay occurred when Kiba spoke to the ninja team to indicate a change in direction.

Tracks in the sand were ignored entirely, and Kankuro had to give a grudging admiration to how confidently they moved. Having a branch of the Inuzuka clan set down roots in Suna would be a great boon to the village, though he heard that the clan head was reticent. Understandably so: Kankuro wouldn't particularly want Konoha to start fielding ninja puppets. Trading wasn't entirely unheard-of, he mused, though what techniques and family secrets got traded were rather carefully marshaled so as to not inadvertently give advantage to people that could be your enemies tomorrow.

Besides, integrating foreign clans into ninja villages was a difficult process, as much as it was for new money to get in with old. Something else to think about, if they got out of this mess with a living Kazekage. There weren't very many people in Suna that were appropriate for the job—he certainly wasn't up to the task. And he wasn't handling keeping up with the Leaf chuunin, either. Where did they get this stamina from?

Shikamaru noticed Kankuro and Temari were flagging, and whistled twice. One sharp and one shallow note: _slow down._ His eyes slid over to the pigtailed blonde, dropping back to keep pace with her. Even considering the constraints they were under, he shouldn't be pushing that hard. "You gonna make it?" he inquired after a few minutes of a more restive pace. Temari shot him a look.

"Kankuro and I have a reserve we can use…but Baki's not here to authorize it."

"Technically I'm the team leader on this mission. What's the reserve?"

"I shouldn't trust you with this secret. It could get you killed."

"So could the five hundred twenty-two other secrets I know. Wait, let me guess: you have some of Shukaku's chakra." The way she tensed up, slight enough that he wouldn't have seen it had he not been looking for a reaction, told him everything he needed. "Neh, don't be too shocked. I figured you out easily enough. It's alright then. Use it if you need to; does it replenish or were you threaded a fixed amount?"

"Then you're…not going to call me a monster and run off?"

"Temari, of all the things you are, a monster isn't one of them. Hell, I was almost counting on something like this. Once I found out about how the Nine-Tails was sharing his chakra I'd been wondering if he'd slipped the secret to the other Beasts. Now that my theory's been confirmed it makes things easier. As leader of this recovery mission I authorize the use of any stamina-enhancing techniques and equipment in your possession." She beamed at him, then, not for long, enough to show that she thanked him for his considerations.

The transformation was a little different than what he experienced when drawing on the Nine-Tails' fragment. Sclera darkened toward black while irises turned yellow, markings almost like eye shadow overtaking the corners of the eye sockets to lend the eyes a diamond shape; body grew stouter and touch more sensitive although that would not come into play, for sure. The two jounin's chakra grew almost tangible as it worked to replenish their waning stamina and enable them to pick up the run once more.

Shikamaru signaled his team to activate their own reserves, and then he started to wonder. If this kept up then everyone in the ninja countries would end up as hosts to a Tailed Beast, or at least part of one. That he had formed a bond with Naruto that enabled the fox to share with him, as well, was nothing short of surprising. It made sense, though. He'd never been close to Uzumaki, per se, and still they were friends all the same. Just by virtue of spending time together when he hadn't been on missions, or training with his team, or whatever else it was that Naruto did in his free time.

_Probably boning the fuck out of the Hokage_, idle thoughts ventured. They did live together, after all, and that boy didn't come out of thin air… Frowning, the shadow snatcher shoved such pointless meanderings to the back of his head, thinking that maybe it was his proximity to Temari that was prompting those ideas. Lately she'd been not-so-subtly hinting that he needed to make jounin already, so she wouldn't feel as bad for him. Yeah, as if that was really what she was worried about. If it was that important to her, he'd offered the last time they'd had that conversation, why not just both quit as ninja and wander off somewhere neutral?

Wave country was, according to gossip, quite accommodating to former ninja and people who just didn't want to get involved. Maybe if he could get himself declared legally dead… After a few hours the trail had grown cold, but not untraceable. By this point it was pretty clear the Akatsuki duo were headed towards River country, where they could make a much more irritating criss-cross of overlapping trails and switchbacks. Might as well rest now and formulate a plan.

Three hours later, they hadn't come up with a workable strategy. At the moment the plan consisted of 'follow the trail to its end and wing it from there', which in Temari's professional opinion was a really shitty plan. The glow of the fire couldn't compete with the beauty of the stars in the early night sky and Temari found her neck craning upward. Whispers on the wind told her what the others were doing, quite easily. Sakura and Hinata were in their tent fooling around, Kiba and Akamaru were asleep and Kankuro was working on his puppet. Shikamaru was pacing back and forth on the other side of the rock she'd perched against; a rustle of fabric announced he was laying out his bed roll next to hers.

"What are you doing?"

"Watching the clouds. It helps me think. I envy them sometimes, but clouds don't feel a thing so at the same time I'm glad to be human."

"Weird boy."

"Annoying girl." They were silent for awhile, Shikamaru laid out with his arms crossed underneath his head, eyes fixed on the celestial ceiling. By now the fire had gone out and the chill of a desert night was beginning to set in. Neither seemed too bothered by it, though.

"Do you…like children, Shikamaru?"

"Huh? I can't say that I hate them. Whether I like them or not is on an individual basis."

"What if they were mine?"

"Trying to say you're pregnant, Temari?"

Soft, bemused laughter at his rather pointed question. "No, well, not yet anyway. Someday I'd like to be. Maybe after joining the Nara clan, perhaps?"

"Maybe. There's still things we've got to do first. Like rescue your brother. Stop Akatsuki. Figure out what Orochimaru is up to. On and on. It never really stops unless we take ourselves out of the equation."

"If we live long enough for that. You're unusually talkative tonight."

"Plenty on my mind. I think I figured out why Naruto talks so much. If he's always talking, he can't stop to think about the stuff that's bothering him."

"Jealous of him? I would bet he's pretty jealous of you, being here to help me find my brother while he's stuck at home."

"Tsunade thinks, and I agree, that this is all part of a ploy to catch two vessels with one action. It would be nice to catch one and get some answers out of him, like where they're based and who their leader is, but I'm not too keen on the odds of us being able to take them alive. What I like even less is going in without any intel. We have an agent sending information to us from time to time, but nothing on Akatsuki's motivations or the capabilities and names of the individual members."

"The ones we're tracking, one uses puppets and the other is a master of explosives. If that helps. Beyond that, you know as much as we do and what we know we learned through them kidnapping our leader."

"So how long?"

"How long what?"

"How long has Shukaku been building fragments inside the people of Sand?"

"…most people aren't even aware of it yet. The only reason Kankuro and I know is because of our particularly strong connection to Gaara. I'd say six to eight months at best, starting around the same time as Naruto was in the city."

"Naruto was in Suna?"

"Yes. It's hard to forget when someone like him shows up. Jiraiya had him come to…something about forging alliances. Cloud wishing to make amends for its actions in the past, offering to train Gaara how to master Shukaku…sometime during the visit, Naruto must have given him the idea. Wait…but that would mean…"

"I can neither confirm nor deny any allegations you may make regarding Naruto possessing the Nine-Tails. Then again I also happen to know that Lady Tsunade is hell-bent on repealing the order that certain things about Naruto cannot be discussed." Another rustle of fabric announced Kiba, sitting down on Temari's other side with a long yawn.

"You guys are noisy, you know that? You should try and get some sleep. Tomorrow's going to be another hard run and we're probably going to have to rest up at least one more time before we get where we're going." The carefully optimistic expression that had been building on Shikamaru's face disappeared, thanks in part to the interruption though he couldn't fault Kiba's reasoning in the slightest. Sighing in slight exasperation the strategist carried his bed roll to the small tent that he'd brought along and set up earlier.

It didn't surprise him when an hour later Temari slipped in, dropping down onto the thin pad with him.

"I don't think I can handle being alone right now." For once he didn't complain.

* * *

Swinging the wooden blade through several rapid arcs, Naruto stepped inside the training log's 'guard' and delivered several sharp elbow strikes before swiping diagonally from left shoulder to right hip, dragging the practice weapon across the front of the studded log. Nearby, Izumi and Toshiro were mimicking his movements, holding sticks instead of masterfully-carved bokken; the restriction on training wasn't supposedly up for another week but he couldn't hold back any longer. The news that had come in recently had set him on edge in ways he'd never imagined possible and plus he needed to see how rusty he was after three months of inactivity.

Fortunately he didn't seem to need too much practice or exercise to get back in shape, flipping the sword into a reverse grip and bashing the pommel into the dummy's face. It was a nice piece of work, he had to allow that much of the craftsman who'd made it. Balanced just like the steel blade he normally used, and with the same length and air resistance, the only thing it really lacked was a piercing point, which was easily overlooked.

The short training session was over for now, as Naruto looked up to the sky and the sun that was swiftly climbing toward midday. Things would have to get better soon, so he could get back to work building those alliances that he would need once he finally became Hokage. People that could help him with the job…Koharu and Homura wouldn't be around forever and he'd need his own set of advisors. Capable, intelligent and trustworthy people who could make the hard decisions where he could not and still maintain the ideals he wanted to set forth. Even he knew that there was going to be a fair bit of difficulty associated with just obtaining the position, to say nothing of being an effective leader.

"Izumi, take your brother inside and help him wash up, okay? I'll be in shortly to make you lunch." Izumi nodded and grabbed Toshiro's hand, pulling him along insistently as they left the back yard for the safety of the kitchen. Immediately after they had left, a wave of intent flickered against Naruto's awareness. The air suddenly felt far colder than the season allowed, and the training blade was flipped back into a ready stance. "Why don't you come out where I can see you?"

His unseen enemy obliged, dropping down from the trees a respectable distance away. It was a man that Naruto didn't recognize, one that wore the emblem of a Leaf ninja and who was covered in a copious amount of bandages. His one visible eye held nothing but contempt for Naruto, a look he hadn't seen in Konoha in three years. "Agents can be so unreliable, can't they, demon?"

"That's a pretty vulgar way of addressing someone who has the Hokage's ear. You wouldn't be trying to get on my bad side, would you?"

"Believe in this fact, Naruto Uzumaki: Konoha will never be yours. Neither will the position of Hokage, not while I draw breath."

"Bold claims to make from an old man in bandages. Why don't you leave before I throw you out?"

"Charming children you have there, Uzumaki. It would be a shame if something were to happen…" Instantly the bandaged man was met with a purple-eyed gaze and a grimace full of teeth, daring him to repeat himself. "Oh? Did that get your attention? Listen well, then, demon. You are not a person. You are a tool. A weapon. The sooner you realize that—"

"**Be quiet.**" Taken aback by the tremulant snarl in Naruto's voice, the veteran ninja assessed the young man carefully. "You're making it obvious that you are nothing but an unwelcome blight on the face of Konoha. Get out of my sight and don't come back. If I could, I'd strip you of your rank and toss you out of the city on your ass. Unfortunately I can't do that; what I can do is tell you to leave, and stay the hell off my property." He flickered, and the one uncovered eye widened in a moment of quickly-stifled fear as he realized how swift Naruto really was. The two men stood back to back, a Rasengan in each of Naruto's hands.

"**And if you ever come near my children…**" Naruto didn't make a threat. The implication was as clear as the orbs of power he held at bay. "Now get out of here." Wisely the aging shinobi did as instructed, leaving as rapidly as he'd come. That was enough information gathering for one day. Now he knew what Naruto's hot-button was. He smiled despite the fear-induced adrenaline surging through his body. How nice of the demon container to provide a method of control.

Taking a few deep breaths, Naruto released the energy he held safely and centered himself. This encounter would have to be told to Tsunade, and he knew she wasn't going to take it well. Squashing his own fears he went inside to serve lunch for the two children he called his own.

* * *

Another day passed by on the move, and another rest before the six ninja finally stood before the barrier. It wasn't fooling anyone currently looking at it, not least because Hinata's eyes had already revealed the immense amount of chakra that comprised it, and her verdict that the barrier was not only alive but very pissed off over what had been done to create it. Simply charging in wasn't going to work; they'd just get rebuffed and maybe killed for trying.

Luck was on their side though, with the example set by Tsunade: if you can't go through something, go under it. They had to be careful about it, though; too much vibration would give away their digging, as would any of Hinata's Earth techniques.

Their hole started with Sakura, cracking the earth to make a space that Kiba and Akamaru could start making wider. Shikamaru employed his Shadow Bind to steady the ground while the two stronger ninja in the group slowly dug the tunnel, breaking every so often to rest. To dig a hole through solid rock was a difficult proposition, and so too was steadying the living stone so it wouldn't transmit the efforts to whatever structure lay beyond the barrier. It wasn't a bad plan, just time-consuming. Using Hinata's Earth style would have been faster; it would also have given away the fact that they had located the barrier and were undermining it.

Soldier pills helped their stamina greatly, and for once Shikamaru was glad that Chouji had given him some of the special Akimichi brand to supplement Kiba's usual stash. Having them now had come in handy and after five hours of digging the two shinobi and the ninja dog didn't look the least bit tired. Just covered with dirt and debris that would be washed off easily enough. As a matter of fact… before Sakura could break through to the other side of the barrier, guided by Hinata's vision (he was going to start recommending a Hyuuga for every search and rescue team from here on out), Shikamaru signaled a halt.

"It's likely to be pretty dark in those caves beyond so take some time to get yourselves dirty. It might not help if they're watching for intruders; if they're distracted, though, it'll let us sneak up easier on top of making us harder to spot." Following words with action, he dove unceremoniously into the mound of soil and earth and god knows what else, coating himself liberally. It was gross and uncivilized and the perfect plan. Two of the three remaining ninja followed suit, with only minor grumbling from Temari about how it was messing up her clothes. Kankuro merely scooped up a small handful, smearing his face and hands with the rough brown color. Their medic (and heavy hitter) had a suitably displeased look on her face as she crawled out of the hole.

"Almost done digging," she announced needlessly. "When this is all over it'll be a miracle if I remember what being clean feels like. I swear, it's like it's blended with my skin." Though she didn't look it outwardly, inwardly the young woman was thoroughly exhausted. It still wasn't as bad as her training sessions with Tsunade, but it came close, and her knuckles and coils were both sore from punching rock just hard enough to fracture the next few feet without actually breaking the stone and thus causing the tunnel to cave in on them.

What she would have liked to have was explosives, enough to level the whole mountain, but that would defeat the purpose of it being a rescue mission. It didn't help the victim if you blew him up and from all accounts the Deidara character would have plenty of boom to go around. The last thing she wanted was to have to explain to Naruto how his brother had been killed, and he wasn't even directly related to the Kazekage.

Having his blood siblings present just put more pressure on the Leaf shinobi to perform above expectations. It was also going to limit them. She shot a momentary red-eyed glance at Temari, the definite weak link. She didn't have any siblings of her own but she had partnered with Kiba before. Big sisters were always protective of their little brothers, even when said brothers were reformed homicidal maniacs like Gaara.

"This is it. Last chance to rest up. We go in, we figure out what they're up to, and then go in swinging." Being perfectly honest, Shikamaru really wanted to have Ino along as well for her ability to project her soul into people, as well as her limited telepathy; she wasn't that good at tracking or direct combat despite the Hokage's efforts to train her. Chouji was actually better at medical techniques and had both the finesse and reserves to pull them off effectively. Medicine fit with his personality, too; the pudgy ninja absolutely abhorred hurting people if he could help it, and therefore he hadn't been assigned to this mission either. Thus it was Hinata's turn to shine again. Sakura went back in the hole with her partner and Shikamaru followed, noting to himself to add the way he'd been using Shadow Bind to the family scroll once he'd returned to Konoha.

A simple palm thrust cleared away the last bits of stone and dirt, and then Hinata was climbing up and out of the passage that had been dug over the last half-day. This was her show now, and all she had to do was sneak in, grab a few peeks and report back. There were many twists and turns to the place; she kept a hand firmly on Akamaru's neck as he sniffed out the correct path, focused entirely on Gaara's scent above anything else, letting the ninja dog lead her to the end of the trail. Both hung back as she triggered her bloodline, using the all-seeing eye to peer around the final bend in the trail.

Astonishing architecture in there, she noted to herself as her eyes roved. Two figures, a third upon something that was positively saturated with chakra, and around six or seven weaker signatures that were feeding energy from a great distance away. Such things were supposedly impossible, but then again she'd been getting a constant feed from the Nine-Tails when he and Naruto were both dozens of miles away, so she didn't think for a second to believe the improbability of it.

Of the three figures, she was pretty sure that one of them was Gaara, and if she was right then not only was he under duress, but the chakra belonging to Shukaku was actually being pulled from his body in rough chunks, taking pieces of Gaara's life energy with it. Even if they stopped the ritual now he might never recover. The process might even be automatic at this point. Forming the hand signs she sent a short-duration clone back to inform the others. Come in fast, come in hard. The time for pussyfooting around was over.

* * *

The first clue that something was wrong was the slight tremor shaking through the cavern, as if an army was marching past. It didn't register at first that there might be actual danger; removing Shukaku from his host was a delicate process and couldn't be interrupted for anything. If even one of them faltered, the results could be catastrophic.

Gaara was on his last legs and the seal was nearly broken, however; just a few more hours and the task would be complete. The Three, Five and Six-Tailed beasts had already been captured and removed, much earlier in the schedule. Numerical progression hadn't mattered as much then as it did now. Deidara did wonder if Pain was beginning to suffer a breakdown of some kind, though would never think to mention it openly. Questioning the strongest man in the world was suicidal at best. At worst he would be doomed to spend an eternity being slain and revived, over and over again in the myriad ways it was possible for someone to die.

When Sakura broke through the last vestiges of rock that separated the tunnel she'd dug from the natural cavern, the deafening noise of tortured earth shook Deidara and Sasori both from their intense efforts, and the ritual failed just like that. What energy was still being pulled out snapped back into place in its container, the link between statue and sealed man broken completely. Too soon, it was too soon to meet interference!

"Apologies, Lord Pain. The intruders are here early. And…" The ghostly figures turned as the six ninja burst into the large cavern where the ceremony was meant to be performed. "They are…not who we expected." The image of Pain that stood upon a finger managed an exasperated scowl despite its relatively small size.

"You Leaf ninja are beginning to annoy me. If you had only waited… Things could have been different. Sasori. Deidara. Deal with them. Leave nothing, not even ashes."

"With pleasure." Hopping down to meet the enemy, Sasori opened a scroll and called forth the contents. A dozen puppets, all made from former ninja that had fought and died against Sasori, appeared to augment his combat strength. Deidara simply smirked, standing motionless save to point at Gaara.

"You shouldn't have interfered. On the other side of that talisman is an explosive tag. One step closer and your precious Kazekage loses his head." He was bluffing; the spirit seal tag could no more explode than he could grow a second pair of arms, but there was no way that they could know that. With the Leaf ninja paying attention to the blond, Sasori maneuvered his squad with the care of a master. With himself, Deidara and the six puppets he'd called out there was a slight advantage, unless the painted Suna shinobi happened to have more than one carried along with him.

Tension hung thick in the air as the two teams faced off. Neither moved yet, not once the puppets had ceased their activity. It was a true stand-off, in proper samurai fashion, only here it would not be the first to move who lost. Here would be a taste of things to come, a skirmish to set the tone of the war that would undoubtedly follow. Heavy moments passed, ninja sizing each other up, and then…

Temari was the first to blur into action, snapping her fan out to full size and blasting the limited space with dozens of chakra-laced whirlwinds. Spiraling funnels swept out wildly, kicking up dust, moss and loose stones as they slammed into the walls and ceiling. Deidara leapt clear of a blast that nearly hit him, and the body-puppets danced to a merry tune upon strings of life-force projected by their owner. Projectiles filled the air as a tail appeared from underneath Sasori's cloak, segmented like that of a scorpion. Each joint fired throwing weapons of every description, pushing the Leaf shinobi into action to defend against the assault.

Eyes flashing from white to black as she drew on Shukaku's power, Temari sped between the Akatsuki warriors, headed for her brother and leader of her village so he could be removed from the foul altar. As she approached a shimmering barrier sprang up, rippling like raindrops on water with the force of impact. Rebounding off of it Temari flipped in the air and landed, having to claw at the ground to halt her skid.

"Ah ah, little woman," Sasori jeered. "If you want past you'll have to take us out. They can complete the ritual without us." Indeed it was true. Though it would tax them greatly, it could be done. His tail waved seductively, reminding Hinata of the way Orochimaru had moved in Team Seven's encounter with him three years ago. It made her anger burn. Eyes shifted from lavender to red, narrow slits appearing even as she fired up her Byakugan. Maybe she didn't have Neji's level of vision but the threads that Sasori was using were plainly visible for how many there were.

Even so this was not going to be an easy fight. What was severed could be reattached. Regardless, slowing the puppets down, even marginally, would help her teammates and allies get the advantage they needed. Behind and to her left Kankuro was unwrapping his puppet, deploying the six-limbed monstrosity at Hinata's side. Red chakra wreathed her fingers like claws as she lashed out, stepping in and out of the army of marionettes, severing cords and tripping them up.

Her teammates were not being slouches, either. Shikamaru had his attention divided between dodging bombs and grabbing severed dolls with his Shadow Bind, maneuvering them to where Sakura could pulverize them with her devastating punches. Kiba and Akamaru played fetch with Deidara's explosives, tossing them back with a tenacious alacrity that bordered on precognition. Their battlefield was rapidly filling with smoke and craters, making it hard to see, especially with Temari's infrequent wind strikes spreading it out even further.

Her eyes may have been able to pierce the mist, yet Hinata knew there was danger if they couldn't get the fight outside. No banter existed between the enemies, no voices among the allies. Each trusted the others to move in the right way at the right time. And there was a problem. Destroying the puppets, breaking them into pieces, was not proving a good enough measure to remove them from play. Increasingly she found herself dodging limbs holding knives, steel-footed legs, and heads with gnashing teeth, all wagering on there being a limit to how much Sasori could control at one time.

In between his body and the pieces of his dolls it was beginning to tax the puppeteer, on top of having to defend himself against Kankuro and assist Deidara in maintaining the barrier that blocked access to Gaara. Another explosion ripped through the cavern, cracking the ceiling and allowing rocks to rain down. Hastily forming the requisite hand signs, Hinata threw up a barrier of stone to deflect the falling rocks and gave Sasori an opening.

Swirling vortexes began sucking up the copious debris at the same time as the Konoha chuunin heard the unmistakable sound of someone being pierced. Working quickly, Temari blew the last of the smoke through the thin crack in the roof of the cave, revealing a dazed Hinata stuck through with nearly a dozen blades of varying shape and length, all held in disembodied puppet limbs. Her lips moved but sound refused to come out from them, incongruous smile gracing her features as blood began to stain the front and back of her clothes.

Then, with a terrible ripping sound that they'd never forget, Sasori pulled the blades free. Seeing the way she fell to her knees and then flat onto her face prompted Deidara to laugh, and then fall silent as Shikamaru's technique caught him dead. Struggling against the bonds, Deidara followed Shikamaru's actions like a mirror, being guided outside much against his will. Sasori cursed his partner's carelessness, and then had to evade a flying kick that left a five foot deep crater where he'd been standing. It was starting to look like he'd made a tactical error.

"Kiba," the pink-haired woman said slowly. "Find a safe spot, get Hinata stabilized. And then we're going to kill these two." Having Shikamaru interrupt Deidara, even briefly, had given Temari a chance to retrieve Gaara and she'd done so quickly, holding him close, suspiciously so though there was no time to comment on it.

"I can get her to safety," she offered, laying her brother on Akamaru's back and helping Kiba support the foundering Hyuuga woman. "…Kick their asses."

"Got it." The pink powerhouse didn't even need hand signs for this one, she'd done it so often. Molding the chakra in her hands, Sakura drew moisture out of the air and formed it into a series of tendrils, eight in all attached to her hands, one per finger. Water Claws was her own invention, as far as she knew, and it was going to tear Sasori to shreds.

That is, if Deidara could be prevented from blowing them up. He'd managed to get free of Shikamaru's own brand of puppeteering, and now had a rather large number of his special bombs scattered around. The statue would be fine, he reasoned, and a new barrier could be cast. That freak Hidan would make sure of that, and enjoy it, too. Threats of violent dismemberment hadn't dissuaded him from trying to recruit Deidara for the glory of Jashin.

"You know, if there's one thing I hate, it's being interrupted. Say, Sasori, didn't you manage to plant a bomb or two on that girl when you stabbed her?"

"I might have. Thinking of turning these little brats into a fine mist, are you?"

"It had crossed my mind. If we don't kill them, Pain will be very cross with us." In concert the two missing-nin began moving again, Sasori employing the dismembered puppets in precise movements, seeking to goad Sakura and Shikamaru into the radius of Deidara's explosives. Thus began an intricate, deadly dance. Sasori's tail presented little opportunity to get close enough for Sakura's Water Claws to strike him, and Deidara had already proven adept at evading the Shadow Bind.

Like the paired ninja, however, the Rookie Nine had plenty of practice at working together in varying combinations and battlefield situations, and it just so happened that dueling in a confined space against multiple opponents was one of the Haruno/Nara combination's favorite conditions. Sakura's body went slack as the Shadow Bind hit her from behind, maintaining the techniques she preferred using effortlessly as Shikamaru began to guide her movements.

He'd figured out a secret about Sasori: the former Suna shinobi didn't like people getting close and didn't like people attacking from the left side, either, protecting it much more strongly than the right. If he angled Sakura for an attack on Deidara in between waves of explosives, controlling where the Stone soldier threw his bombs to maximize their effect on altering the playing field to his shadows' advantage. Frequently switching targets to keep the pair off guard, Shikamaru, via Sakura's body, began to reduce the number of combat-effective pawns and press Deidara into a corner.

"Quite the effective shadow puppet he's got there, eh, Sasori?"

"Insulting to think that an obviously inferior design is performing so well against us. Deidara, we need more room to maneuver here. Blow the roof."

"But what about… Oh fine, I was getting bored of this cave anyway." Reaching into his pouch the explosives fanatic took out a fair portion of his exploding clay, using the mouths in his hands to form the clumps into a set of kunai that he launched at the roof of the cave. They blew on impact, practically, lodging handle-deep in the rock and blasting huge chunks from the material. At first the effect was negligible, but with each successive blast the divot grew larger and broader, cracks spreading through the rock radiating erratically from the ever-deepening hole.

Before long the entire roof was crumbling and after yet another blast, it all came tumbling down. Pulling back to the entrance just in time to see Deidara raise a dome of solid earth over Sasori and himself, Shikamaru and Sakura were forced to shield their eyes from falling debris and the sudden sunlight that broke through into the musty cavern. He had to give Deidara credit; for all that he seemed like a mad bomber, his manipulation of the explosions had resulted in a rather clean collapse, the rubble forming a natural stairway up to the top of the murderous temple.

Ignoring the danger the Konoha ninja chased Sand and Stone back outside, catching sight of black and red cloaks as they vanished into the woods, headed in the same direction as Sakura knew the other four had run—Akamaru left rather large claw marks when speed was the goal, not stealth. Hoping that her guess was wrong, Sakura nodded once at Shikamaru and the pair poured on the heat, beginning a mad pursuit. They were at a disadvantage. Deidara could fly with his clay birds, and thus keep out of range of any assaults they might be able to launch. Sasori would be the better target, if he was even there.

* * *

Pain was familiar, comforting. Pain was the affirmation of life, the indication that you were injured, or pushing your body beyond its limits. Most pains she could deal with; physical pain could be overwhelming but it would always fade. The heart and soul were different matters. Dimly aware of a pressure beneath her, and a person thrown over the large shape with her, Hinata tried to shift, and felt sharp daggers of agony telling her that was a bad idea. Oh, now she remembered. The knives. She'd been too busy—_too distracted, you silly girl_, she chided herself—to react to them, and so had been pierced.

Voices. Kiba she recognized, who was the other? Temari? Possibly. They were saying something…being chased? And someone was losing blood? That had to be her. Poor Akamaru, she was making a mess of him. At least it was warm, which was helpful because she was so damn cold. If they could just stop and rest… The light disappeared. Were they in a cave again? No, it didn't smell like it. Rough hands helped her off of the ninja hound, set her flat on the ground.

"Hey, give me back my jacket," she tried to say, but it came out weak, barely audible. Warm hands, pressing into the wounds, testing the severity. It wasn't that they were all that horrific, just that there were so many…It was getting colder, she really needed her jacket back. Another lance fired white in her vision, unable to make out anything distinct. White agony, cold blue settling into her stomach and chest. Medical salve probably, and judging from the sting it wasn't her personal blend—she hadn't thought it would be necessary to bring any. Most ninja carried curatives of some sort; if it was Kiba's, though, it was probably originally meant for Akamaru. Temari's would probably get used on Gaara. He hadn't looked hurt, though arcane rituals meant to extract and store demons weren't necessarily clean affairs.

Growing colder still… was she dying? The prospect didn't worry her as much as she'd thought it would. What worried her was the thought that she was leaving Sakura alone, letting her team down. That thought hurt worse than any of the pains she'd endured over the years. Ever since she decided to join the ranks of the shinobi…

Sudden clarity filled Hinata as she found herself standing atop a large hill, surrounded by blue sky and facing a single tree. Underneath the tree sat a child in a fox mask, wearing a simple shirt to cover her body. The girl sat, knees drawn up to her chest, and the eyes of the mask lifted to her own as the child registered Hinata's presence.

"Why don't you fight harder?" she was queried.

"What do you mean? I fought as hard as I could. I simply wasn't good enough."

"Don't let me die."

"I think it's out of my hands."

"No it isn't! You can still fight! Fight this!"

"How do I fight it? Tell me, since you seem to know."

"Don't let me die. Don't let me hurt anymore. I feel everything you feel. How do you stand it?"

"Because I have to. Because I want to. There's things I have to do, but I think they're going to be left unfinished."

"You don't want to die."

"Most people don't. It's out of my hands now."

"No it isn't. They're fighting for you right now. Why aren't you fighting? You're strong, too! Get up and fight!" Anger and fear fell off of the girl in waves, stunning Hinata with their intensity. The sky darkened towards night and, at a loss for what to do to soothe the strange person inside her head, the Hyuuga mistress sat with the child, offering her the comfort of another presence. "I've disappointed father."

"Who's father?"

"You know who he is. Big scary teeth, lots of tails, lots of energy. He planted this seedling, you know. He helped me grow it into this tree. Daddy likes making things grow. He'd be very angry with me if I let this tree die."

"The Nine-Tails?"

"That's not his name! That's just what people call him. Are you going to fight? Don't you want to live?"

"Yes, I do, it's just that…"

"So fight! Get up!"

"My body's in pretty rough shape, you know. If I fight now I might really die."

"Oh…well you should've said so. I can help. I like making things grow. Daddy said I'd be a good gardener someday, when he put me here to watch this tree. Just…promise me something."

"What's that?"

"Will you…come back and play with me? It's lonely here."

"Okay. I promise. I'll see if I can't bring you some friends, too."

"You'd do that? For me?"

"I can try."

* * *

The howl in the distance, Shikamaru recognized as a signal from the ninja hound. It meant that the runners had holed up to treat injuries that would get too severe to repair if they tried to go any farther, and also that they had been discovered by the enemy. Explosions ripped through the forest, shattering trees and sending animals running for cover. It seemed Deidara was now interested in eschewing precision for simply leveling the entire area until he found the rescue team.

His reserves were getting low, and it was doubtful he'd be able to contribute much to the fight when it resumed. Sakura on the other hand still had plenty, since her strength-enhancing techniques, learned from Lady Tsunade, didn't use as much energy as one might think. The fight would be up to the girls, then; Kiba would be stuck guarding the downed fighters, the only one with reflexes fast enough to interdict any attempts on their lives.

Situation aside, the thought caused an amused smirk to grace Shikamaru's lips. He could be more fierce than Chouji defending his snacks, if it were his teammates on the line and not just his food. Anyone who tried to get close enough to harm or kill the ones he was protecting would suffer for it. There, ahead, the flash of more explosives, and the sound of more wood snapping and breaking as gravity asserted itself to pull damaged trees to the forest floor.

Above there was a bird, unlike anything natural, floating serenely as its rider threw more bursting spheres onto the ground below. How much of that stuff did he have? Some ninja just didn't comprehend the concept of running out. It annoyed him to no end, moreso because those were his friends the madman was targeting. He had just enough power left to…

"Sakura, you up for a fastball special?"

"Think you can manage it, Shikamaru?"

"I think so, yeah. More worried about missing. It's a long way down if my aim is off."

"Risk we'll have to take. Do it." Ninja were hardier than the average citizen and could handle stresses, perform stunts that most people weren't capable of. Channeling all of his remaining energy into his legs, Shikamaru bounced skyward, clearing the canopy in a single leap of faith; at the peak of his jump, Sakura repeated his maneuver, pumping as much energy as she could into her legs. As soon as her feet left the branch she was standing on, the kunoichi performed a substitution, leaving Shikamaru to land heavily on the branch while the momentum she'd just imparted to her body carried her through the switch, and higher still.

For a moment it looked like she might miss, after all, but then she managed to grab hold of the clay bird's talons, and with all the skill of a gymnast swung herself up and around, feet catching Deidara both off guard and in the side of his head. Tumbling down, the renegade called his bird to catch him, thinking that perhaps the kunoichi would have finished the turn and landed atop the winged construct; instead he saw her gripping the talons still, hanging on one handed.

As the bird drew near Sakura released, kicking off of the flying weapon to drive head-first into Deidara's chest with a satisfying crunch. Ribs had given way, possibly spine, but that didn't matter to her. Recovering from the blow she got control of her descent, landing hard enough to shake her limbs though not nearly as badly as Deidara. He, despite managing to open his cloak into a makeshift drogue, had crashed through the foliage roughly and landed in the boughs of a pine, before slumping down to the forest floor in a heap.

Struggling to his feet, Deidara frowned. The pink-haired bitch who'd caught him off-guard—how had she jumped that high in the first place? Ribs in pain, left arm refusing to work and almost completely out of his clay…and now staring down a supremely pissed off woman. Then again, she was a Leaf ninja, so he stood a pretty good chance of being taken in for interrogation. Sakura, however, wasn't keen on taking a prisoner.

"Alright, you! Where'd your little friend with the dolls run off to?"

"Whatever do you mean? I work alone, lady!"

"Bullshit." Cracking her knuckles, Sakura put on her sweetest smile, and brought her face close to Deidara's. "The Hokage said we needed to bring back someone for interrogation. She didn't say it had to be you." A fist swung and Deidara bit back the surge of bile, glaring at the woman who'd dared to hit him. Him, the greatest artist in the world! If he could muster up the strength…there was a clay clone he left lying around somewhere, for situations just like this. Staggered by the blow that wrecked his body more certainly than any strike from the Gentle Fist, Deidara sagged, taking a moment to grouse over the unfairness of the world.

Normally Sakura would take her time breaking someone down, piece by piece; there was another Akatsuki still on the loose somewhere nearby, though, and time was not a luxury she currently possessed. Her eyes flashed red with anger, and with the finality of a death blow, Sakura introduced Deidara's head to the interior of the tree. One threat was gone, one remained. Shaking the blood off of her hand she rejoined Shikamaru, who by this time had found the rest of the recovery team, with, thankfully, no corpses to speak of.

She set to work healing her patient the best that she could, heeding the team leader's insistence on reporting back to the Hokage.

* * *

Hinata found herself staring up at a large tree, her jacket laid under her head for a pillow since there wasn't any other means of supporting her skull. Someone had wrapped her torso in bandages with a care and familiarity that said it could only have been Sakura. Which meant that they'd beaten the assassins, or at least forced a withdrawal, and completed their objective of locating the Kazekage and rescuing him from his attackers.

Not that they wouldn't try again. Akatsuki seemed to have a goal involving the Tailed Beasts, one that she didn't think she'd like, especially if it involved the death of a friend. Briefly activating her Byakugan, she spied Sakura talking with Kiba, but didn't see Shikamaru, Temari or Kankuro. Likely they had gone back to Suna with Gaara, as the original diplomatic mission was still in play. Akamaru lay on the ground, watching her, and gave a soft bark when she tried to move. Although she didn't know how exactly to understand the large dog, the meaning was clear. _You're still hurt, don't move._

Advice that she planned on taking. Eyes returning to normal, Hinata laid her head back on the makeshift cushion and strained her ears. No doubt her watchdog could hear what their partners were talking about, and from the way that the massive pup's eyes drifted over to her occasionally she could only assume that she was the topic of conversation. The stench of medical paste hung in the air, meaning a fresh packet had been opened recently. It was useful stuff for stabilizing wounded, but not a real fix. Her best bet would be to get back to a hospital.

That was probably what the discussion was about. Was she safe to move. Well, if she wasn't, she sure as hell didn't want to bleed out in the middle of nowhere and determined to make sure they knew that. In the end it was a risk they had to take. Sakura made damn sure she wasn't going to fall off of Kiba's partner, though, for which she was grateful. Ninja dogs were wild and exciting beasts.

(break)

Sasori didn't commonly feel fear. It was one of those things that he kept compartmentalized, acknowledged, but not experienced. That he had to suppress the trepidation gnawing at the pit of his stomach as he resumed contact with Pain said something. Luck hopefully on his side, he opened with an apology to his leader.

"My humblest and most profound regrets, master Pain…the ritual could not be completed. We were assaulted by some Konoha shinobi and…Deidara has been killed."

"The Nine-Tails was involved..?"

"No, sir. He was not. I cannot say for sure if the ninja that attacked us bore any of its power themselves. And the host of the One-Tail has escaped."

"These Leaf ninja begin to irk me, Sasori. No, you will not engage them again. We are going to take Konoha down to rubble. I will see to it personally."

"Yes, sir. As you wish."

* * *

Orochimaru preened. His latest agent had been dispatched, a woman that should by rights have been dead. And in fact she had been when he'd found her, by the technical definition of the term. Still, she hadn't been so far gone that the woman couldn't be revived by normal methods. Using the Impure World Resurrection had turned out not to be necessary in her case, and a little manipulation of her memory, along with her cerebral tissues, meant that she was a willing if unaware pawn to his schemes.

It was too bad that she was not a blood Hyuuga, or else he would have said to hell with gender identity, and taken her body for the Byakugan it would have possessed. God knows how highly that the special White Tiger Eye was coveted, for after all it was because of that eye that Cloud had lost one of its leaders and tension remained between the Leaf and the Mist. It was still inferior to the Sharingan, of course, though the ability to see chakra and perceive your surroundings without having to move your head were beneficial in their own way.

The game was progressing nicely and the pieces were moving into their final positions. Kabuto had fancied himself a strategist and a valuable source of intel. The former was debatable and the latter somewhat questionable, yes, yet he had been skilled enough that the loss of his analytical and medical abilities still left a noticeable void in Orochimaru's schemes. Oh well, sometimes things didn't go as expected and if you didn't adapt then you'd die.

Only one real problem existed in his current plan: once he took the body he sought, he would be, for a time, vulnerable to his enemies, and would thus need someone to look after him. Troublesome, perhaps, though maybe now he could throw a tantrum and get away with it. Having subordinates that either ran in fright or tried to pull favors off of you while you were indulging in frustration got old after awhile. Pausing in his mental meanderings, Orochimaru stared at the pipe in his hand and frowned.

_I should never have picked up Sarutobi's habit. This stuff is not conducive to stable thought. And that time with the pixies…ugh._ Shrugging, the Snake Sannin light the contents of the bowl and took a puff, relaxing as the chemicals in the leaves saturated his mind. _Ah, much better._

_Author's note:_

_Some of you may be wondering where I'm going with this, and some of you may have deduced already. I can't give away my plans just yet, though, that would just defeat the purpose of it. Now, on to some bad news: I am considering ending this story after the next chapter. Depending on the sort of response I get, I may or may not decide to continue, and if I end this story I will explain why, and also make known what I had intended to portray._

_The simple fact is that this was never meant to be any great work, any epic or opus, but rather just a writing exercise to see what sort of style I engage in. To that end I believe that it's served its purpose, and could someday be improved or at least cleaned up. Today is not that day. It will continue for now, and when it ends, well, it ends._

_Thanks to all for reading and thanks to all that have shown their support. More things await on the horizon, and if I've accidentally stolen anyone's idea, well, sorry!_


	16. A Message From the Author

A message from the Author:

This concludes The Untitled Naruto Story. I did what I meant to in writing it, and although I can honestly say it could have been better, I am happy with it as it is.

That said I am still going to carry through with my intention of starting it over from the beginning. Call it a new game+ if you will; as it stands if I were to continue this tale I would end up writing myself into a corner and pulling some pretty idiotic stuff out of my ass just for the sake of keeping it moving. I don't want to do that. The essence of the story will remain the same. Other things will change.

For those who are interested, please direct your attention to the first chapter of the retelling, Sōshin Rensa.


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